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and  duty 

FAITH  AND    DUTY 


NIHIL  OBSTAT : 

F.  Thomas  Bergh,  O.S.B., 

Censor  Deputatus 

IMPRIMATUR  : 

Edm.  Can.  Surmont, 

Vicarius  Generalis 


WE3TMONASTBRII, 

Die  1  Mail,  1920 


FAITH  AND  DUTY 

A  COURSE  OF  LESSONS  ON  THE  APOSTLES* 
CREED  AND  THE  TEN  COMMANDMENTS 
FOR  CHILDREN  OF  EIGHT  TO  TEN  YEARS 


BY 

001 

JUDITH    F.    SMITH,,  '     ^ 


WITH  A  PREFACE  BY  THE 

REV.  STANISLAUS   ST.  JOHN,  S.J. 


'  O  world  as  God  has  made  it !    All  is  beauty  : 
And  knowing  this,  is  love,  and  love  is  duty." 

Browning. 


LONDON 
BURNS  GATES  &  WASHBOURNE  LTD. 

28  ORCHARD  ST.,  W.i       8-10  PATERNOSTER  ROW.  E.C.4 

AND  AT  MANCHESTER,   BIRMINGHAM,   AND  GLASGOW 
IQ20  All  rights  iiscrvcd 


PREFACE 

Experience  proves  that  the  warfare  for  God  in  this  world 
must  be  waged  in  great  part  on  the  battlefield  of  the  soul 
of  the  child.  If  this  were  not  so,  how  are  we  to  explain 
the  fact  that  the  enemies  of  the  Church  have  always  en- 
deavoured to  eliminate  the  teaching  of  catholic  truth  from 
the  primary  schools  ?  Frarwce  expelled  the  Priest  and  the 
Religious  from  her  elementary  schools,  and  it  is  a  matter 
of  common  knowledge  that  important  clauses  in  the  various 
Education  Bills  of  the  past  few  years  tended  in  the  same 
direction,  though  in  a  less  direct  and  drastic  manner.  It 
is  almost  banal  to  say  that  the  child  has  a  much  diminished 
chance  of  learning  the  Truth,  which  Christ  came  on  earth  to 
bring  it,  once  its  school-days  are  over.  Life  is  too  strenuous 
and  the  new  material  interests  are  too  keen  to  allow  of 
sufficient  leisure,  or,  indeed,  to  allow  us  to  hope  for  that 
amount  of  interest  which  is  imperatively  necessary  if 
grown  boys  and  girls  are  to  make  time  for  a  study  which  is 
left  till  they  are  wage  earners,  and  parish  priests  know  only 
too  well  how  hard  it  is,  if  not  impossible,  to  get  them 
together  for  this  purpose. 

It  is  by  no  means  enough  for  the  child  to  learn  the 
catechism  by  heart.  It  must  be  explained,  and  the  ex- 
planation should  be  of  a  nature  to  interest  the  learner  and 
hold  his  attention.  Speaking  from  experience  in  our 
schools,  we  can  affirm  without  fear  of  contradiction  that 
the  catechism  lesson  is  the  hardest  of  all  to  give  in  this 
manner.  It  is  not  enough  that  the  teacher  should  know 
his  matter.  The  best  method  of  imparting  knowledge  is  of 
the  very  highest  importance,  for  true  education  demands  that 
the  mind  of  the  child  be  taught  first  to  assimilate  truth,  of 
whatever  kind,  and  then  to  reproduce  it  in  its  own  terms, 
and  if  the  old  adage  "  Omne  quod  sapit  nutrit "  does  not 
hold  universally,  it  is  only  necessary  to  modify  it  slightly 
to  recognise  that  mental  food,  to  be  truly  nutritious,  must 
be  rendered  palatable.  The  mind  of  the  adult  may  be 
forced  by  the  will  to  assimilate  dry  and  even  distasteful 


vi  PREFACE 

matter,  out  of  which  it  will  proceed  to  bring  forth  results, 
but  it  is  otherwise  with  the  child.  The  reception  of  know- 
ledge must  be  rendered  agreeable,  and  the  catechism  lesson 
must  be  such  that  the  class  will  look  forward  to  it,  assimilate 
it  easily,  and  find  pleasure  in  expressing  it.  This  is  an 
exceedingly  difficult  result  to  achieve,  as  anyone  who  has 
tried  has  found  to  his  cost.  In  every  other  branch  of 
knowledge  vast  pains  have  been  taken  by  educationalists 
to  improve  existing  methods  of  teaching  and  to  devise  new 
ones  on  these  lines.  Our  teachers- to -be  are  gathered  for 
several  years  into  Training  Colleges,  where  they  not  only 
learn  what  has  to  be  taught,  but  the  best  ways  of  teaching 
it  as  well.  Miss  Judith  Smith,  in  the  present  work,  has 
endeavoured,  and  we  think  with  eminent  success,  to  outline 
a  method  whereby  Religion,  the  most  important  knowledge 
of  all,  can  be  taught  with  equal  skill,  and  therefore  v/ith 
equal  success.  Even  a  cursory  perusal  will  convince  the 
reader  of  Miss  Smith's  deep  insight  into  child  psychology, 
and  we  have  no  fear  in  asserting  that  the  catechism  taught 
on  the  lines  laid  down  by  her  would  bid  fair  to  be  one  of  the 
most  interesting  lessons  of  the  whole  curriculum.  No 
doubt  the  method  suggested  makes  considerable  demands 
on  the  teacher,  in  the  way  of  careful  preparation  and  repeti- 
tion, and  it  cannot  be  carried  out  without  study  and  some 
persevering  effort,  but  these  will  certainly  not  be  lacking. 
In  times  not  yet  long  passed,  when  our  catholic  teachers 
were  heavily  handicapped  in  almost  every  way,  salaries 
and  advancement  included,  their  zeal  and  spirit  of  self- 
sacrifice  enabled  them  to  carry  on  their  noble  work  under 
most  discouraging  circumstances,  and  so  to  save  the  faith 
of  countless  men  and  women.  It  is  certain  that  their  zeal 
has  in  no  way  diminished  under  better  circumstances,  and 
we  have,  therefore,  every  reason  for  feeling  assured  that  the 
teaching  profession  will  heartily  welcome  Miss  Smith's 
new  work,  will  gladly  act  on  its  suggestions,  and  will  most 
assuredly  reap  the  happy  result  of  making  religious  teaching 
far  more  pleasant  and  consequently  far  more  productive 
of  good  results  than  it  has  been  till  now. 

STANISLAUS  ST.  JOHN,  S.  J. 
114,  Mount  Street, 

LOXDON,   W.  1. 
April  19,  1920. 


INTRODUCTORY  NOTE 


Every  book  of  lessons  must  be  in  the  nature  of  suggestions 
only,  for  each  teacher  will  adapt  them  to  suit  himself; 
nevertheless,  it  is  sometimes  a  help  to  a  busy  teacher  to 
find  the  spade  work  done  for  him.  Further,  a  book  neces- 
sarily aims  at  helping  the  untrained,  and  for  their  sake  it  is 
hoped  that  others  will  excuse  the  emphasis  laid  on  educa- 
tional commonplaces. 

These  lessons  are  worked  out  on  Herbart's  Five  Formal 
Steps,  and  certain  main  principles  have  been  observed; 
e.g.,  that  education  is  a  drawing-out  rather  than  a  pouring- 
in ;  that  there  should  be  "no  impression  without  expres- 
sion "  ;  that  the  matter  must  always  be  related  to  the 
children's  interests;  that  a  subject  must  be  so  presented  to 
the  intellect  that  it  rouses  the  emotions  and  thus  brings  the 
will  into  play. 

"  He  that  would  have  a  cake  out  of  the  wheat,  must  tarry 
the  grinding."  The  teacher  feeds  the  mill  of  the  child's 
mind  with  the  grain  of  knowledge  in  such  quality  and 
quantity  that  the  mill  may  bite  and  grind  the  grain  into 
flour — i.e.,  assimilate  the  knowledge.  When  so  ground  the 
flour  can  be  baked  into  a  nourishing  loaf — i.e.,  the  assimi- 
lated knowledge  can  he  crystallised  into  a  set  formula,  which 
is  an  invaluable  intellectual  store.  As  Professor  James 
says,  "  verbal  material  is,  on  the  whole,  the  handiest  and 
most  useful  material  in  which  thinking  can  be  carried  on  " 
[Talks  to  Teachers,  chapter  12). 

Here  comes  in  our  incomparable  Catechism,  and  appended 
to  these  lessons  is  a  suggested  method  of  memorising  it. 
To  quote  Professor  James  again  [ibid.,  chapter  13):  "The 
more  accurately  words  are  learned,  the  better,  if  only  the 
teacher  make  sure  that  what  they  signify  is  also  under- 
stood; "  and  he  gives  the  following  illustration  of  the  wrong 
method:  "A  friend  of  mine,  visiting  a  school,  was  asked 
to  examine  a  young  class  in  geography.  Glancing  at  the 
book,  she  said:  'Suppose  you  should  dig  a  hole  in  the 


viii  INTRODUCTORY  NOTE 

ground,  hundreds  of  feet  deep,  how  should  you  j&nd  it  at 
the  bottom — warmer  or  colder  than  on  top  ?'  None  of 
the  class  replying,  the  teacher  said:  '  I'm  sure  they  know, 
but  I  think  you  don't  ask  the  question  quite  rightly. 
Let  me  try.'  So,  taking  the  book,  she  asked:  'In  what 
condition  is  the  interior  of  the  globe  V  and  received  the 
immediate  answer  from  half  the  class  at  once :  '  The 
interior  of  the  globe  is  in  a  condition  of  igneous  fusion.'' '' 
Now  of  course  when  a  child  answers  a  question  parrot- wise 
it  means  nothing  to  him :  it  is  simply  an  undigested  lump 
of  unground  grain ;  and  there  is  this  danger  with  a  question- 
and-answer  Catechism.  Have  we  not  the  classic  instance 
of  the  child  who,  when  asked  by  the  examiner:  "  Are  we 
bound  to  support  our  Pastors  ?"  replied,  "  We  are  not 
bound  to  support  our  Pastors,  for  they  can  neither  see  nor 
hear  nor  help  us!" 

But  if  the  child  memorises  the  Catechism  answers  as 
statements,  having  first  thoroughly  grasped  their  meaning 
and  expressed  it  in  his  own  words,  he  can  afterwards  be 
required  to  fit  them  to  the  questions  if  necessary,  in  which 
case  they  will  be  real  answers. 

An  attempt  of  this  kind  has  been  made  in  the  following 
lessons,  the  answers  in  the  first  five  chapters  of  the  Catechism 
being  used  as  Memory  Work  throughout  the  scheme,  with 
the  exception  of  a  few  which  are  either  too  difficult  for 
children  of  this  age,  or  too  simple  to  require  an  illustrative 
lesson.  But  it  is  obvious  that  if  the  lessons  follow  a  con- 
nected course  some  of  the  Catechism  answers  must  be  taken 
out  of  their  order;  this,  however,  rather  helps  our  plan 
than  otherwise,  for  we  want  the  answers  to  express  real 
knowledge  and  not  to  be  merely  a  chain  of  words.  Further, 
several  answers  are  frequently  thrown  into  one  statement. 
This  Memory  Work  can  be  omitted  without  any  detriment 
to  the  Course,  but  where  it  is  used  it  is  suggested  that 
review  lessons  should  be  held  at  intervals,  in  which  the 
book  questions  are  asked  and  the  class  required  to  supply 
the  answers  from  their  store  of  memory  work.  It  will  be  a 
great  intellectual  joy  to  the  child  to  find  himself  ready 
equipped  with  the  answers.  For  the  convenience  of 
teachers  the  Catechism  answers  appended  to  each  lesson 
are  numbered  in  the  index. 

It  is  possible  that  some  may  not  have  used  Expression 


INTRODUCTORY  NOTE  ix 

Work  with  religious  instruction;  they  are  urged  to  test  its 
value.  It  is  one  of  the  most  valuable  aids  to  assimilation 
and  memory,  as  well  as  a  great  help  to  the  teacher. 
Alternative  Expression  Work  is  given  here,  but  the  teacher 
should  lead  the  class  to  suggest  it  where  possible. 

With  regard  to  the  grading:  it  is  not  desirable  to  grade 
too  finely  in  a  lesson  book  because  that  means  the  multipli- 
cation of  books;  these  lessons  are  for  the  Primary  Depart- 
ment, children  from  eight  to  ten  (Standards  11.  and  III.), 
and  they  can  be  simplified  or  worked  up  according  to  the 
varying  capabilities  of  different  children — e.g.,  for  some 
children  of  eight  they  would  need  to  be  chiefly  narrative, 
and  few  references  could  be  found. 

It  is  assumed  that  a  blackboard  (B.B.)  and  Bibles  will 
be  used  throughout  the  course ;  suggestions  for  illustrative 
models  and  pictures  are  also  given,  but  of  course  they  are 
merely  desirable,  not  necessary.  When  procurable,  how- 
ever, they  certainly  help  to  make  the  scenes  live  for  the 
child,  and  the  actual  making  of  models  is  a  great  joy  to 
children  of  this  age  and  upwards;  they  might  make  a 
museum  of  such  models  for  their  school.  There  is  a  useful 
book  on  model-making,  written  by  teachers  and  illustrated 
by  photographs  of  models:  Models  for  the  Sunday  School 
and  how  to  make  them,''  by  M.  Evans  and  A.  H.  Walker, 
published  by  the  Sunday  School  Institute.  The  same 
firm  publishes  The  Handbook  on  the  Use  of  Models  and 
Objects  for  Scripture  Teaching,  by  J.  G.  Kitchin,  M.A.,  and 
Blackboard  Drawing  and  Blackboard  Copies,  by  M. 
Higham.  Other  useful  non-Catholic  publications  are: 
S.P.C.K.  Bible  Altas,  from  which  maps  can  be  enlarged 
for  large  classes  ;  Bible  Illustrations,  Oxford  University 
Press;  the  National  Society's  Pictures  aiid  Illustrations 
for  the  Teacher  in  several  series;  Nelson's  pictures;  and 
Eighty  Pictures  on  the  Life  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  painted  in 
the  Holy  Land  by  W.  Hole,  R.S.A.,  R.E.,  and  published  by 
Eyre  and  Spottiswoode.  These  pictures  are  most  suggestive 
and  illuminating. 

But,  useful  as  they  are,  none  of  these  "  aids "  are 
necessary,  a  full  description  of  Eastern  objects  being 
given  in  the  lessons;  but  if  not  already  in  possession 
of  similar  books,  teachers  would  be  well  advised  to 
procure  the  book  on  model-making  and  the  Bible  Atlas. 


CONTENTS 

COURSE  A 
THE  APOSTLES'  CREED 


ARTICLE  I 

1.  God  in  Three  Persons 

2.  The  Creation  of  the  World 

3.  The  Creation  of  Man 

4.  The  Fall  and  Promise  of  Redemption 

5.  Review  Lesson    • 


ARTICLES  II  AND  III 


6.  The  Promise  fulfilled      -  -  .  . 

7.  The  Promise  fulfilled  for  all  the  world 

8.  The  Holy  Child  in  His  Mother's  House 

9.  The  Holy  Child  in  His  Father's  House 

10.  The  Baptism  of  Christ 

Christ's  Power  over  Evil 

11.  The  Temptation  in  the  Wilderness 

Christ's  Power  over  Natitre 

12.  The  Water  made  W^ine 

13.  The  Feeding  of  the  Five  Thousand 

14.  The  Stilling  of  the  Storms 

Christ's  Power  over  Disease 

15.  The  Healing  of  the  Man  born  Blind 

16.  The  Healing  of  the  Infirm  Man 

17.  The  Healing  of  the  Ten  Lepers 

Christ's  Power  over  Death 

18.  The  Raising  of  the  Widow's  Son  at  Naim 

19.  The  Raising  of  Jairus'  Daughter 

Christ's  Power  over  Human  Hearts 

20.  St.  Peter 

21.  St.  John 

22.  St.  Matthew       - 

23.  Martha  and  Mary 

24.  Review  Lesson 


CATECHISM 

MEMORY  WORK 

20,  24,  25, 

26 

.  21,  19, 

23 

. 

1-6 

113-115, 

118 

16 

-18 

40, 

48 

44, 

45 

. 

38 

. 

49 

27,  28, 

36 

43 


31 
32 
33 


34 
35 

39 


41 

42 


.  88 
.  169 
•  170 
.  171 
31.47 


Xll 


CONTENTS 


ARTICLE  IV 

25.  Holy  Week        .... 

26.  Holy  Thursday 

27.  Good  Friday      .... 

28.  The  Sign  of  the  Cross  (Review  Lesson) 


ARTICLE  V 


29. 
30. 


' '  He  descended  into  hell 
The  Resurrection 


Christ's  Commands  to  His  Friends 
3L  To  believe  (St.  Thomas) 

32.  To  work  (St.  Peter)        .... 

33.  To  wait  (St.  John)         .... 

34.  To  teach  (missionary  lesson)     - 

ARTICLE  VI 

35.  Christ's  Ascension         .... 

36.  Christ's  work  in  Heaven  for  His  friends  on  earth 

ARTICLE  VII 

37.  The  Nobleman  and  his  Servants 

38.  The  Ten  Virgins  .... 

39.  The  Last  Judgment  (Review  Lesson)    - 

ARTICLE  VIII 

40.  The  Holy  Spirit  in  the  Old  Testament 
4L  The  Holy  Spirit  in  the  New  Testament 

42.  St.  Peter  ..... 

43.  St.  Stephen 

ARTICLE  IX 

The  Marks  of  the  Church 

44.  Saul  the  Persecutor  (One) 

45.  Saul  the  Christian  (Holy) 

46.  St.  Peter  and  Cornelius  (Catholic) 

47.  St.  Paul  the  Missionary  (Catholic  and  Apostolic) 

48.  St.  Paul  the  Missionary  (Catholic  and  Apostolic) 

The  Door  of  the  Church 

49.  St.  Philip  and  the  Ethiopian     - 


63-65 
66,  67 


-  9-11 

-  91 
.     135 

-  12 


68,  69 
70,46 


71-73 
74,75 

76,  7,  8 


77,78 

79,  80,  81 

.      82 


.  95 
.  96 
97,98 
-  99 
•      94 


83-85 


CONTENTS 


Xlll 


The  Guides  of  the  Church 

50.  The  laraelitea  in  the  Wilderness 

51.  The  Church  in  the  World 

The  Food  of  the  Church 

52.  The  Earthly  and  the  Heavenly  Manna 

The  Children  of  the  Church 

53.  The  Church  Militant 

54.  The  Church  Expectant 

55.  The  Church  Triumphant 

56.  Review  Lesson  • 

ARTICLE  X 

57.  Eve  and  our  Lady 

58.  The  Sick  of  the  Palsy     .... 

59.  Zacheus  ..... 

ARTICLE  XI 

60.  The  Resurrection  of  the  Body    - 

ARTICLE  XII 

61.  The  Life  Everlasting  (Review  Lesson)    - 


CATECHISM 
MEMORY   WORK 


86,  87,  89,  90 
92.  93 


-  269 


.  103 

105,  106,  108 

102,  104 

83,  100,  101 


116,  117,  119,  123 

110-112 

120-122,  126,  127 


128,  129,  133 
130-132,  134 


COURSE  B 
THE  THREE  EMINENT  GOOD  WORKS 

1.  PRAYER,  IN  ITS  FIVE  PARTS 

62.  (  i.)  Adoration — Isaias'  Vision 

63.  ( ii.)  Praise — Anna  and  our  Lady  .  -  -  161-164 

64.  (iii.)  Thanksgiving — the  Birth  of  St.  John  Baptist 

65.  (iv.)  Contrition — the  Prodigal  Son 

66.  (  V.)  (a)  Petition — Christ's  Petitioners 

67.  (6)  Intercession — St.  Peter's  Imprisonment  141,  142,  168 


68.  God's  Athletes 


69.  Dorcas 


2.  FASTING 


3.  ALMSDEEDS 


159, 165 


XIV 


CONTENTS 


COURSE  C 
THE  TEN  COMMANDMENTS 


yV  V-FiVOJa-AJT 

"^A                                                CATECHISM 

MEMORY  WOnK 

70.  Noah  (hope)       . 

176»179 

71.  Abraham  (faith) 

177,178 

72.  Moses  (charity) 

.    175 

73.  Balaam  (sorcery) 

182,183 

74.  Gedeon  (religion) 

180,  181,  184 

SECOND  COMMANDMENT:  TO  REVERENCE 
HOLY  THINGS 

75.  The  Israelites  at  Sinai  -  -  •  •  -     188 

76.  Core,  Dathan  and  Abiron  -  -  •  •  -     189 

77.  The  Ark  among  the  Philistines  -  -  -         185,  186 

THIRD  COMMANDMENT:  TO  KEEP  THE  RULES  OF 
THE  CHURCH 

78.  The  early  Christians  and  the  rule  of  worship  -  192-195 

79.  The  four  Hebrew  boys  and  the  rule  of  self-denial         -  -     234 

80.  David  and  the  rule  of  confession  of  sin  ...    240 

81.  Daniel  and  the  rule  of  prayer  ....     243 

82.  The  widow's  mite  and  the  rule  of  almsgiving  -         245,  200 

83.  Tobias  and  the  rules  for  marriage         -  -  -    229 


FOURTH  COMMANDMENT:  TO  BE  DUTIFUL  TO 
THOSE  IN  AUTHORITY 


84.  David  as  a  dutiful  son 

85.  David  as  a  dutiful  servant  of  the  king 


196,  197,  199 
198,  203 


FIFTH  COMMANDMENT:  TO  BE  KIND  TO 
OTHERS 

86.  David  as  a  gallant  enemy  .... 

87.  Christ  with  His  friends  and  enemies 

88.  St.  Hugh  and  his  love  for  animals 


205,  206 
207,  208 


CONTENTS  XV 

SIXTH  COMMANDMENT:  TO  BE  PURE  IN 

HEART  CATECHISM 

UKMORY  WORK 

S9.  Sir  Galahad        .....  225,212,213 

90.  St.  Margaret  of  Scotland  -  .  -  -  -     211 

91.  St.  Joan  of  Arc  ......    209 

SEVENTH  COMMANDMENT:  TO  BE  HONEST 
IN  DEED 

92.  The  deceitfulness  of  Jacob  ....       214-216 

93.  The  sin  of  Achan  .....       217,  218 

EIGHTH  COMMANDMENT:  TO  BE  TRUTHFUL 
IN  WORD 

94.  The  truthfuhiess  of  Jonas  ....       219,  220 

95.  Ananias  ......        221, 222 

NINTH  COMMANDMENT 

96.  David  and  Bathsabee  ....        223,  224 

TENTH  COMMANDMENT:  TO  BE  CONTENT  AND 
THANKFUL 

97.  Naboth's  vineyard         ......    226 

98.  Ruth  -  -  -  .  -  .  -227 

99.  Review  Lesson — the  Good  Samaritan 


FAITH    AND    DUTY 

COURSE  A. 

THE  APOSTLES'  CREED. 

Course  Aim. — To  help  the  children  to  understand  the 
articles  of  the  Christian  Faith,  that  they  may  be  inspired 
with  such  love  for  the  same  that  they  will  show  it  forth  in 

their  lives. 

ARTICLE  I. 

"  I  believe  in  God  .  .  .  Creator  of  heaven  and  earth." 
Aim. — To  deepen  the  children's  sense  of  God's  power 

and  love. 
Teacher's  Thought. — "  He  is  the  Lord  our  God,  and  we 

are  the  people  of  His  pasture  and  the  sheep  of  His  hand." — 

PsA.  xciv.  7. 

1. — Lesson  Subject:  God  in  Three  Persons. 

References. — Gen.  i.  1,  2;  St.  John  i.  1-3;  1  St.  John  iv.  8. 

Apparatus. — Prepared  diagrams,  shamrock  or  clover 
leaves. 

Aim. — To  help  the  children  to  grasp  something  of  the 
Mystery  of  the  Most  Holy  Trinity. 

Note  to  the  Teacher. — Be  prepared  to  draw  on  the  black- 
board, or  have  ready  beforehand,  (a)  a  large  circle,  (6)  a 
largo  circle  into  which  three  interwoven  circles  or  a  triangle 
is  exactly  fitted. 

Introduction. — Show  a  large  circle  previously  drawn  on 
B.B.  or  pin  up  Diagram  A.  Draw  a  line  on  B.B.  beneath 
it.     Let  a  child  come  out  of  the  class  and  point  to  the  be- 

X 


2  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

ginning  and  the  end  of  the  line;  then  ask  for  the  beginning 
and  end  of  the  circle,  and  let  the  children  explain  that  it 
has  no  beginning  and  no  end. 

Presentation :  The  Eternal  God. — Ask  the  class  if  they  can 
think  of  anything  which  is  like  this  circle  in  having  no  be- 
ginning and  no  end;  take  up  all  their  suggestions,  and,  if 
created  objects  are  given,  work  them  out  from  their  first 
cause  to  final  end.  If  man  is  suggested,  draw  a  small  circle 
emphasizing  its  starting -point,  and  show  that  man  has  a 
beginning  but  no  end.  Lead  the  class  to  see  that  the  circle 
represents  the  eternity  of  God.  Explain  that  "  God  had  no 
beginning;  He  always  was,  He  is,  and  He  always  will  be." 
Ask  how  we  can  describe  God.  When  the  children  hesi- 
tate, say  that  one  who  knew  Him  well  has  described  Him, 
and  let  them  find  and  read  1  St.  John  iv.  8. 

Because  God  is  Love  He  must  love,  and  there  is  nothing 
completely  worthy  of  His  love  but  Himself;  therefore  there 
are  Three  Persons  in  One  God  (put  up  Diagram  B.) — 
God  the  Father  Who  loves  God  the  Son,  and  God  the  Son 
Who  loves  God  the  Father,  and  God  the  Holy  Ghost  Who 
is  the  Love  of  God  the  Father  and  God  the  Son — and  these 
Three  are  One.  Explain  that  we  cannot  understand  this 
Mystery  of  the  Most  Holy  Trinit}^  because  it  is  bej^ond  our 
understanding,  but  we  know  that  it  is  true  because  God 
has  revealed  it.  Let  the  class  find  and  read  Gen.  i.  1,  2, 
and  St.  John  i.  1-3,  and  notice  the  mention  made  of  the 
Three  Persons. 

Illustration. — The  great  and  learned  St.  Augustine  of 
Hippo  was  one  day  walking  by  the  sea-shore,  thinking 
about  this  Mystery  of  the  Holy  Trinity,  and  trying  to  under- 
stand it.  Presently  he  noticed  a  little  boy  playing  on  the 
sands;  he  had  dug  a  hole  and  was  pouring  water  from  the 
sea  into  it  with  his  bucket.  St.  Augustine  watched  him 
running  to  and  fro,  filling  and  emptying  his  little  pail. 
"  What  are  you  doing  ?"  he  asked  at  length.  "  I  am  trying 
to  empty  the  sea  into  my  hole,"  answered  the  boy.  St. 
Augustine  explained  to  him  that  such  a  thing  was  im- 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  3 

possible.  "It  is  no  more  impossible  than  what  you  are 
trying  to  do,"  said  the  boy.  "  I  can  as  easily  pour  the  sea 
into  this  hole  as  you  can  understand  tJie  Mystery  of  the 
Blessed  Trinity  with  your  human  mind." 

But  though  we  cannot  fully  understand,  we  can  under- 
stand a  little.  This  is  how  St.  Patrick  used  to  explain 
this  Mystery  to  the  heathen.  One  summer  morning 
St.  Patrick  and  his  clergy  were  sitting  by  a  well,  when 
there  came  down  the  two  daughters  of  King  Leoghain, 
Ethne  the  Fair  and  Fedelon  the  Ruddy.  They  were 
very  much  surprised  to  see  the  priests  sitting  there 
with  their  books,  and  asked:  "Who  are  ye,  and  whence 
are  ye  come  ?  Are  ye  of  the  elves  or  of  the  gods  ?"  And 
St.  Patrick  said:  "  It  were  better  for  ye  to  beUeve  in  God 
than  to  inquire  about  our  race."  The  elder  princess 
answered:  "  Who  is  your  God,  and  where  is  He  ?"  Then 
St.  Patrick  taught  them  about  God,  Who  had  made  all 
the  beautiful  world  around  them.  He  told  them  of  God 
the  Father  Who  created  them,  and  of  God  the  Son  Who 
died  to  save  them,  and  of  God  the  Holy  Ghost  Who  was 
waiting  to  make  them  holy — of  the  Three  Persons  in  One 
God,  each  interested  in  them  and  loving  them;  of  the 
Mystery  of  the  Holy  Trinity.  Ethne  and  Fedelon  wanted 
to  be  made  Christians  at  once,  so  St.  Patrick  baptized  them 
then  and  there  with  water  from  the  well,  in  the  name  of 
the  Father  and  of  the  Son  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 

All  over  Ireland  there  grows  a  little  leaf  like  this  (show 
or  draw  clover  or  shamrock),  and  when  St.  Patrick  was 
teaching  people  about  the  Holy  Trinity  he  often  gathered 
the  shamrock  to  explain  what  he  meant,  so  no  doubt  he 
pointed  it  out  to  Ethne  and  Fedelon.  He  used  this  leaf 
as  a  symbol,  because  it  is  a  kind  of  triangle  (draw  on  board), 
and  a  triangle  is  perhaps  the  best  symbol  of  the  Holy 
Trinity  which  we  can  find.  Let  the  class  notice  that  all 
three  sides  are  exactly  equal,  and  that  the  three  sides  make 
the  triangle ;  sketch  the  shamrock  leaf  within  it,  if  thought 
well. 


4  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

Memory  Work.—"  There  is  only  one  God.  God  had  no 
beginning;  He  always  was,  He  is,  and  He  always  will 
be.  There  are  Three  Persons  in  God — God  the  Father,  God 
the  Son,  and  God  the  Holy  Ghost.  These  Three  Persons 
.  .  .  are  all  one  and  the  same  God"  (Cat.  24,  20,  25,  26). 

Expression  Work. — Let  the  class  draw  one  or  more 
symbols  of  the  Holy  Trinity,  and  explain  in  writing  how 
the  Mystery  is  symboHsed  thereby.  Or  write  one  of  the 
stories. 

2.— Lesson  Subject :  The  Creation  of  the  World. 

References.— Gen.  i.  1-25;  St.  John  v.  17. 

Aim. — To  help  the  class  to  realise  something  of  the 
wonder  and  beauty  of  Creation,  and  thus  to  arouse  love  for 
the  Creator. 

Introduction. — Question  the  children  on  what  they 
each  like  best  to  make,  and  then  ask  if  they  have  ever 
made  anything  entirely  out  of  their  own  heads — a  toy, 
a  game,  a  song,  etc.  Tell  them  that  this  love  and  power 
of  making  things,  and  especially  the  power  to  invent,  is  a 
gift  from  God,  Who  is  the  Great  Maker  and  Inventor. 
Let  them  tell  what  they  can  about  the  creation  of  the  world, 
and  then  let  them  read  or  hear  read  Gen.  i.  1-25.  Ask 
how  we  know  from  this  chapter  that  God  delighted  in  His 
work  ("and  God  saw  that  it  was  good").  Remind  the 
children  of  their  joy  when  they  have  made  anything  which 
they  know  to  be  good. 

Presentation  :  1.  The  Wonder  of  Creation.— God  created 
everything  by  Himself  alone:  "out  of  nothing"  only  in 
the  sense  of  using  fio  material,  for  Creation  is  simply  the 
thoughts  of  God  taking  shape,  that  is  why  the  whole  world 
is  so  beautiful.  God  thought  of  the  light,  the  sea,  the  land, 
the  flowers  and  trees  and  animals,  and  they  were  formed. 
God  has  given  something  like  this  creative  power  to  some 
men,  and  we  say  that  they  have  genius  and  respect  them 
very  much.  Let  the  children  quote  their  favourite  poems, 
and  explain  that  the  idea  was  in  the  mind  of  the  poet, 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  5 

and  that  when  he  expressed  it  he  gave  it  form;  this  is  a 
kind  of  creation.  Discuss  inventions,  the  aeroplane,  etc., 
and  point  out  that  the  living  part  of  the  invention  is  the 
idea,  but  that  the  man  has  to  use  material  in  order  to  carry 
it  out. 

2.  The  Beauty  of  Creation. — A  poet's  verses  or  an  artist's 
pictures  are  Hke  their  authors — beautiful,  if  their  thoughts 
are  beautiful.  Ask  the  class  what  we  can  tell  of  God  from 
His  works;  let  them  say  which  they  think  the  most 
beautiful. 

Suppose  that  we  had  a  great  friend  who  was  a  very  clever 
artist,  and  that  he  went  to  the  trouble  of  building  us  a 
beautiful  house,  designing  artistic  furniture,  and  hanging 
the  walls  with  the  most  lovely  pictures  painted  by  himself. 
When  it  was  all  finished  he  took  us  round  and  showed  it 
to  us;  at  every  step  we  saw  something  new  and  beautiful, 
made  specially  for  us.  What  should  we  be  continually 
saying  to  him  as  he  walked  with  us  ? 

This  lovely  world  is  a  home  specially  made  for  us  by 
the  greatest  Artist  of  all,  Who  is  also  our  dearest  Friend, 
and  He  does  show  us  round,  as  it  were,  for  God  is  every- 
where. When  we  realise  this  we  cannot  help  saying 
"Thank  you,"  at  every  beautiful  thing  we  see.  And  it  is 
not  as  if  He  had  made  the  world  once  for  all  and  then  left 
it:  He  is  keeping  it  going  all  the  time,  re-creating  it  every 
minute.  If  God  left  us  and  the  world  alone  we  should 
drop  back  into  the  nothingness  from  which  we  came. 
We  may  have  seen  someone  giving  a  beautiful  firework 
display,  showing  flowers,  stars,  etc.  While  he  holds  them 
and  continually  lights  them  the  pretty  sight  goes  on,  but 
when  he  drops  them  there  is  nothing  left,  just  darkness. 
Or  we  have  seen  a  brilliant  shining  bubble  blown  from  a 
pipe  and  then  kept  up  in  the  air  for  a  few  minutes  by 
blowing  under  it,  but  when  the  bubble  drops  there  is 
nothing  left.  The  whole  of  Creation  is  something  like  that 
bubble,  it  was  formed  and  is  kept  going  simpl}'  by  the  power 
of  God.     An  old  hymn  expresses  it  thus : 


6  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

0  God,  Creation's  secret  force, 
Thyself  unmoved,  all  motion's  source, 
Who,  from  the  morn  till  evening's  ray, 
Through  all  its  changes  guid'st  the  day. 

Application. — Let  the  class  mention  some  of  the  beautiful 
things  which  they  daily  see,  and  lead  them  to  resolve  to 
say  "  Thank  you  "  for  them.  Ask  them  to  notice  how  the 
least  thing  is  beautiful — a  leaf,  a  twig,  etc,  because  a 
great  Artist  makes  everything  beautifully.  Let  each 
child  bring  some  small  perfect  specimen  of  God's  work  to 
class  next  day. 

Memory  Work. — "  God  is  called  Creator  of  heaven  and 
earth  because  He  made  heaven  and  earth  and  all  things 
out  of  nothing  by  His  word.  God  is  everywhere;  He  has 
no  body,  He  is  a  spirit  "  (Cat.  19,  21,  23). 

Expression  Work. — Let  each  child .  draw  a  picture-map 
of  his  favourite  place,  indicating  all  its  most  beautiful 
features,  or  print  the  verse  of  Rerum  Deus  tenax  vigor,  as 
above. 

Note  to  the  Teacher.— Children  of  this  age  will  readily 
draw  a  picture- map  when  they  will  not  attempt  a  picture- 
If  they  are  unfamiliar  with  the  idea  the  teacher  might 
draw  one  on  the  board  of  his  favourite  spot:  i.e.,  on  the 
lines  of  the  medieval  maps  with  their  ships  and  mermaids 
and  animals,  etc. 

3.— Lesson  Subject :  The  Creation  of  Man. 

References. — Gen.  i.  26-31,  ii. 

Apparatus. — A  picture  of  Adam  and  Eve  in  Eden. 

Aim. — To  show  the  great  privileges  given  to  man,  and 
to  inspire  the  children  with  a  desire  to  use  them  aright. 

Introduction. — Let  the  class  show  the  leaves,  etc.,  which 
they  have  collected,  and  spend  a  few  moments  noticing 
the  beauty  of  each  example  of  God's  work.  Ask  for  a 
summary  of  the  created  objects  mentioned  in  the  previous 
lesson. 

Presentation  :  1.  The  Creation  of  Man. — Draw  from 
the  class  that,  as  God  is  Love,  He  desires  love  above  all 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  7 

things;  lead  them  to  see  that  among  all  these  beautiful 
objects  of  creation  there  was  none  which  could  love  Him. 
Let  them  find  and  read  Gen.  i.  26,  first  half,  and  ask 
what  man  could  give  to  God  if  he  were  created  in  God's 
likeness. 

Let  the  class  tell  as  much  as  possible  of  the  following, 
the  teacher  building  up  a  B.B.  summary  from  their 
answers : 

We  have  seen  that  in  the  beginning  God  created  water, 
rocks,  etc.,  things  with  a  material  form  or  body,  but  with 
no  Ufe  or  growth;  then  He  created  plants  with  a  material 
form  and  life ;  then  He  made  animals,  with  a  body  and  life 
and  instincts  (let  the  class  give  or  teacher  supply  instances 
of  animal  intelHgence) ;  now  He  created  man,  giving  him 
a  body  and  life  and  instincts — all  that  He  had  already  given 
to  animals — but  with  the  crowning  gift  of  all:  spirit,  and 
the  spirit  or  soul  is  that  part  of  man  which  is  in  the  likeness 
of  God.     (Let  the  class  find  and  read  St.  John  iv.  24.) 

Describe  the  creation  of  Adam  and  Eve,  their  dominion 
over  the  animals,  the  beauty  and  happiness  of  Eden,  their 
loving  intercourse  with  God. 

2.  Man's  Natural  Privileges. — Compare  (a)  the  form  of  a 
plant  with  that  of  a  stone,  (6)  the  body  of  an  animal  with 
that  of  a  plant,  (c)  the  body  of  a  man  with  that  of  an  animal, 
showing  the  increasing  superiority  of  each — e.g.,  a  stone 
cannot  move  or  grow,  having  no  life,  it  can  only  change, 
e.g.,  be  dissolved  by  rain,  etc.,  and  so  turn  to  earth;  a 
plant  has  life,  it  grows  and  improves,  but  cannot  move; 
an  animal  can  run,  climb,  swim,  etc.,  but  every  animal 
cannot  do  the  same  things ;  a  man  can  do  all  that  an  animal 
can  do  and  much  more  besides,  use  his  hands,  etc. 

Compare  the  intelligence  of  an  animal  with  the  mind 
of  a  man ;  explain  that  an  animal  works  by  instinct,  a  man 
by  reason — i.e.,  a  man  can  invent,  an  animal  can  only  do 
what  its  ancestors  did:  e.g.,  a  thrush's  nest  built  in  the 
woods  2,000  years  ago  would  be  just  the  same  as  the  one 
we  found  this  spring.     Describe  briefly,  illustrating  with 


8  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

rough  B.B.  sketches,  the  changes  in  men's  houses  in  England 
during  that  period — ^rough  huts,  stone  castles,  modern 
villas,  etc. 

Again,  you  always  know  what  an  animal  will  do  under 
certain  circumstances;  let  the  class  give  instances — e.g., 
a  cat  with  a  strange  dog,  a  mouse,  a  saucer  of  milk;  but 
you  can  never  tell  what  a  boy  will  do,  for  example,  when 
he  meets  another  boy,  at  his  lessons,  with  his  apples  when 
there  are  not  enough  to  go  round.  The  boy  might  conquer 
all  his  natural  instincts  to  fight,  to  be  lazy,  to  be  greedy; 
but  the  cat  would  follow  his  instincts,  and  scratch  the 
dog  and  hunt  the  mouse  and  lap  the  milk ;  for  animals  have 
no  soul,  and  by  the  powers  of  the  soul — the  understanding 
and  the  will — man  can  control  his  instincts.  We  speak 
of  man,  then,  as  having  body  and  soul,  but  animals  as  having 
body  and  instincts.  Our  reason,  and  our  knowledge  of 
good  and  evil,  help  us  to  do  a  thing  because  it  is  right, 
cj[uite  apart  from  whether  we  want  to  do  it  or  no.  And 
because  God  loves  us  and  wants  a  real  love  in  return.  He 
has  given  us  free-will,  to  serve  Him  or  not  as  we  choose, 
for  He  does  not  want  the  obedience  of  machines.  (Instance 
the  joy  of  a  mother  when  a  child  gathers  flowers  for  her, 
which  would  be  valueless  if  gathered  under  compulsion.) 

3.  Man's  Supernatural  Privileges. — God  created  man  to 
love  Him,  and  man  cannot  love  Him  unless  he  knows  Him, 
but  without  special  help  man  can  never  really  know  God 
because  He  is  so  infinitely  above  him.  The  animals  cannot 
know  God,  they  cannot  worship;  point  out  that  an  animal 
never  looks  up  into  the  sky,  only  man  carries  his  head  high 
and  naturally  looks  upward.  But  God  created  man  to 
know  Him  and  to  love  Him  and  to  live  with  Him  for  ever, 
so  He  not  only  gave  him  a  spiritual  soul,  but  He  made  that 
soul  immortal  so  that  it  can  never  die — draw  circle  on  board 
as  in  former  lesson — and  He  gave  him  His  Grace,  so  that 
man  can  live  the  same  kind  of  life  as  that  which  God  lives, 
that  is,  a  spiritual  life,  and  therefore  man  can  live  with  God. 
(Compare  the  life  of  a  caterpillar  with  that  of  a  butterfly.) 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  9 

God  created  man  in  the  butterfly-state,  not  in  the  cater- 
pillar-state, He  gave  him  his  spirit- wings — Grace — straight 
away ;  so  that  Adam  and  Eve  at  once  knew  and  loved  Him, 
and  talked  with  Him,  and  lived  always  in  His  presence, 
and  they  did  not  know  that  there  was  such  a  thing  as  sin. 
Sin  is  disobedience  to  God,  but  if  they  knew  and  loved  Him 
how  would  they  act  towards  Him  ? 

Association. — Discuss  the  different  ways  in  which  God 
has  made  stones,  plants,  animals,  and  men,  how  man  is 
raised  above  the  animals  and  made  in  the  likeness  of  God, 
and  what  gift  God  has  given  to  man  that  he  might  be  His 
friend. 

Generalisation. — Lead  the  class  to  make  some  such 
summary  as  the  following,  and  write  it  on  the  B.B. : 

"  God  has  given  me  understanding  with  which  I  may 
know  Him,  a  will  with  which  I  may  love  Him,  and  a  body 
with  which  I  may  serve  Him." 

Application.^ — Let  the  class  suggest  means  of  gaining 
knowledge  of  God,  ways  of  showing  love  to  God,  and  oppor- 
tunities of  service  for  God. 

Memory  Work. — "  God  made  me  to  know  Him,  love  Him, 
and  serve  Him  in  this  world,  and  to  be  happy  with  Him 
for  ever  in  the  next.  God  made  me  in  His  own  image  and 
likeness;  this  likeness  to  God  is  chiefly  in  my  soul.  My 
soul  is  like  to  God  because  it  is  a  spirit,  and  is  immortal  .  .  . 
it  can  never  die  "  (Cat.  1-6). 

Expression  Work. — Describe  the  ways  in  which  man  is 
superior  to  the  animals. 

Write  the  story  of  the  creation  of  Adam  and  Eve. 

Print  Cat.  2. 

4.— Lesson  Subject :  The  Fall  and  Promise  of 
Redemption. 

Reference. — Gen.  iii. 
I       Apparatus. — Pictures  of  Adam  and  Eve  in  Eden  and 
leaving  Eden. 

Aim. — To  help  the  class  to  understand  something  of  the 


10  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

Fall  and  its  consequences,  and  what  the  Promise  of  Redemp- 
tion meant  to  mankind. 

Note  to  the  Teacher. — Gen.  iii.  15 :  a  note  in  the  Douay 
version  is  as  follows:  "  She  shall  crush — Ipsa  the  woman; 
so  divers  of  the  fathers  read  this  place,  conformably  to 
the  Latin;  others  read  it  ipsum,  viz.,  the  seed.  The  sense 
is  the  same;  for  it  is  by  her  seed,  Jesus  Christ,  that  the 
woman  crushes  the  serpent's  head."  On  this  authority, 
our  Lord  rather  than  our  Lady  is  shown  in  conflict  with 
the  devil  throughout  this  lesson-course,  as  being  more  in 
accordance  with  its  aim. 

Introduction. — Put  up  the  picture  of  Adam  and  Eve  in 
Eden  which  was  used  in  the  previous  lesson;  question  on  it, 
and  draw  from  the  class  that  man  was  created  to  return 
God's  love,  and  that  the  test  of  love  is  obedience. 

Presentation  :  1.  The  Testing  of  the  Angels. — Represent 
to  the  class  the  loving  interest  with  which  God  would 
watch  Adam  and  Eve  to  see  if  they  really  loved  Him,  and 
so  would  continue  to  obey  Him — would  keep  their  spirit- 
v/ings,  Grace.  Explain  that  others  were  watching  too,  for 
God  had  already  created  the  angels  and  had  given  them 
their  choice  of  obedience  or  disobedience.  Tell  how  some 
chose  to  disobey  and  that  their  leader  has  ever  since  been 
called  Satan,  the  enemy;  he,  and  the  other  rebel  angels, 
by  throwing  away  God's  gift  of  Grace,  became  devils. 

2.  The  Testing  o£  Man. — Narrate  Gen.  iii.  vividly. 
Explain  that  the  devil  assumed  the  form  of  a  serpent  so 
that  his  appearance  would  not  startle  Eve  and  put  her  on 
her  guard ;  and  that  being  a  rebel  against  God  he  wanted  to 
make  man  a  rebel  too,  lest  he  should  take  his  forfeited  place 
in  heaven.  Point  out  that  the  forbidden  apple  was  a  test 
of  man's  self-control  and  love  and  faith,  and  that  by  this 
means  God  gave  man  a  chance  to  prove  his  loyalty.  Note 
that  Adam  and  Eve  knew  at  once  that  they  were  in  the 
wrong,  and  that  they  could  no  longer  live  with  God — they 
had  lost  His  gift  of  Grace,  their  spirit-wings — they  were 
afraid  to  face  Him.     Show  how  one  sin  led  to  another, 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  11 

and  they  now  began  meanly  to  blame  each  other.  Having 
lost  the  love  of  God  they  also  lost  the  love  of  man.  Lead 
the  class  to  see  that  as  man  had  proved  unworthy  of  trust 
he  could  no  longer  stay  in  Eden,  as  he  would  only  have 
harmed  himself  further — possibly  have  eaten  of  the  Tree  of 
Life  and  lived  for  ever  in  sin,  which  was  what  Satan  wanted. 

Show  the  picture  of  Adam  and  Eve  driven  from  Eden, 
and  let  the  children  consider  how  they  would  feel  when  shut 
outside  the  beautiful  garden  for  ever.  Tell  how  they  had 
one  comfort,  they  had  heard  God  say  to  the  serpent: 
"  You  and  Eve  will  always  be  enemies,  because  of  what 
you  have  done,  and  you  and  her  children  will  always  be 
enemies  too,  and  you  will  hurt  them  very  often;  but  at 
last  there  shall  be  born  One  Who  will  be  more  powerful 
than  you,  and  He  shall  fight  you  and  conquer  you."  Let 
the  class  find  and  read  Gen.  iii.  15,  explain  that  the  woman 
would  crush  the  serpent's  head  through  her  Son  Who  was 
to  come.  (Make  no  mention  here  of  our  Lord  or  of  our  Lady. ) 
Let  the  class  note  the  significance  of  the  phrase  lie  m  wait 
for  her  hed,  draw  from  them  that,  as  the  snake  in  the  grass 
bites  unseen,  so  the  devil  hurts  us  when  we  are  not  on  the 
lookout  for  him. 

Illustration  (A  true  story). — Two  Uttle  girls,  whom 
we  will  call  Vera  and  Joan,  once  lived  with  their  aunt. 
One  day  Vera,  the  elder,  had  been  so  exceedingly 
naughty  that  she  had  to  spend  the  rest  of  the  day  in 
bed  as  a  punishment.  But  by  evening-time  she  was  really 
sorry,  and  had  told  Auntie  so  and  been  forgiven,  and 
the  punishment  was  over;  so  that  when  Joan  came  up 
to  bed  in  the  adjoining  room  they  were  allowed  to  talk 
and  play  as  usual.  But  there  was  a  very  strict  rule  that 
there  must  be  no  more  talking  after  Auntie  had  said  good- 
night, and  they  were  on  their  honour  to  observe  it;  but  this 
night,  to  the  aunt's  great  sorrow,  she  heard  Vera  chattering 
to  Joan — and  Vera  had  promised  to  be  good.  She  went  to 
her  and  said  how  sorry  she  was  that  she  had  so  soon 
broken  her  promise,  and  Vera  sobbed  out:  "Oh,  Auntie, 


12  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

I  was  nearly  asleep  and  the  devil  got  me  !"  Explain  that 
the  child  was  off  her  guard,  and  the  devil  tempted  her  slyly, 
like  a  snake  biting  in  the  grass. 

Association. — Now  let  the  class  discuss  the  difference 
between  the  snake  biting  the  man's  heel,  and  the  man 
crushing  the  snake's  head — a  bite  on  the  heel  need  not  kill 
the  man  (he  might  take  an  antidote  for  the  poison),  but  a 
crushing  blow  on  the  head  would  kill  the  snake.  Let  them 
think  what  this  promise  must  have  meant  to  Adam  and 
Eve,  and  how  they  must  have  longed  for  the  time  when 
their  Son  should  be  born  Who  would  conquer  their  enemy 
the  serpent.  Work  up  the  class  to  desire  to  know  Who  He 
was  and  how  He  would  do  it.  Tell  them  that  they  shall 
hear  soon. 

Memory  Work. — "  There  are  two  kinds  of  sin — original 
sin  and  actual  sin.  Original  sin  is  that  guilt  and  stain  of 
sin  which  we  inherit  from  Adam,  who  was  the  origin  and 
head  of  all  mankind.  The  sin  committed  by  Adam  was 
the  sin  of  disobedience  when  he  ate  the  forbidden  fruit. 
Actual  sin  is  every  sin  which  we  ourselves  commit " 
(Cat.  113,  114,  115,  118). 

Expression  Work. — Compare  the  life  in  Eden  with  the 
life  outside. 

Draw  two  pictures :  one  of  what  Adam  had  lost,  the  other 
of  what  he  now  had  instead. 

Write  an  account  of  the  Fall  and  its  consequences. 

5.— Review  Lesson. 

Apparatus. — Two  blackboards,  raw  cotton,  wool,  grains, 
etc. 

Ask  the  class  what  they  had  for  breakfast,  take  up  the 
answer  of  "  bread,"  ask  who  gave  it  to  them,  trace  back 
its  direct  origin  from  God,  letting  the  class  think  out  each 
step  for  themselves — e.g.,  before  bread,  flour;  before  flour, 
wheat;  before  the  wheat,  the  blade  of  corn;  before  the  blade, 
the  grain  sown  in  the  earth  and  germinating  only  by  Divine 
power.    Quote  the  following  verse,  illustrating  it  on  the  B.B. : 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  13 

Back  of  the  loaf  the  snowy  flour, 

Back  of  the  flour  the  mill, 
Back  of  the  mill  the  sun  and  the  shower 

And  the  Heavenly  Father's  will. 

Trace  back  other  articles  of  diet;  and  the  clothes  which 
the  children  are  wearing — e.g.,  clothes  made  of  wool  and 
cotton,  back  to  the  raw  material.  In  the  same  way  take 
some  of  the  articles  in  the  room,  chairs,  coal,  metals,  etc., 
and  trace  them  back  to  their  source.  Lead  the  class  to 
see  that  even  where  man  has  made  a  thing  God  has  done 
most  of  the  work  first,  has  prepared  everything  for  man's 
use.  Illustrate  by  the  action  of  a  teacher  with  a  small 
child,  the  teacher  arranges  the  paper,  rules  the  lines, 
provides  the  pencil,  guides  the  child's  hand. 

Now  help  the  class  to  make  a  generalisation  of  the  fore- 
going section,  and  so  to  arrive  at  the  first  article  of  the  Creed. 
Follow  some  such  method  as  this,  and  sum  up  on  B.B. 

Who  made  the  world  ? — God. 

How  did  He  make  it  ? — By  His  almighty  power. 

What  do  we  call  the  act  by  which  something  is  made  out 
of  nothing  ? — Creation. 

Then  by  what  name  may  we  call  God  ? — Creator  of 
heaven  and  earth. 

Therefore  "I  beheve  in  God  the  Father  Almighty, 
Creator  of  heaven  and  earth." 

Memory  Work.— Cat.  16,  17,  18. 

Expression  Work. — Draw  any  of  the  ways  in  which  our 
everyday  food  or  clothes  come  to  us  from  God. 

Make  a  list  of  some  of  God's  gifts  which  we  use  daily. 

Print  the  verse. 

ARTICLES  II  AND  III. 
"And  in  Jesus  Christ  .  .  .  bom  of  the  Virgin  Mary." 

Aim. — To  help  the  children  to  reahse  both  the  Divinity 
and  the  Humanity  of  our  Blessed  Lord,  and  to  inspire  them 
with  love  for  Him. 

Teacher's  Thought. — "  When  the  fulness  of  the  time  was 
come,  God  sent  His  Son"  (Gal.  iv.  4). 


14  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

6. — Lesson  Subject :  The  Promise  Fulfilled. 

References.— St.  Matt.  i.  18-25;  St.  Luke  ii.  1-38. 

Apparatus. — Pictures  of  the  shepherds  in  the  field  and  at 
the  manger,  and  of  the  Presentation  in  the  Temple. 

Aim. — To  show  that  our  Lord  was  born  to  be  the  Saviour 
of  manldnd. 

Note  to  the  Teacher. — Where  the  story  is  familiar  to  the 
children  let  them  tell  it,  but  guide  the  lesson  along  the  lines 
suggested.  Show  the  pictures  without  comment  as  they 
come  into  the  narrative. 

Introduction. — A  f e^v  questions  on  the  lesson  before  last, 
bringing  out  the  need  for,  and  promise  of  a  Saviour. 

Presentation  :  1.  The  Coming  of  the  Promised  One.— 
Describe  the  first  Christmas  Eve  very  vividly — the  dark 
night,  the  shepherds  keeping  watch,  the  fire  burning 
brightly  to  warm  them  and  to  keep  oS  wild  beasts.  Imagine 
them  talking  together,  thinking  of  that  old  Promise  made 
so  long  ago  to  Adam  and  Eve,  made  since  then  to  Abraham 
their  own  ancestor  (let  the  class  find  Gen.  xxii.  18).  Tell 
how  for  hundreds  of  years  God's  people  the  Jews  had  waited 
for  the  fulfilment  of  that  Promise.  Describe  the  sudden 
appearance  of  the  angel;  repeat,  or  let  the  class  find,  his 
words  (St.  Luke  ii.  10-12).  Ask  what  title  would  fill  the 
shepherds'  hearts  with  joy — Saviour.  Let  the  class  take 
up  the  storj^,  show  picture  of  shepherds  kneeling  at  the 
manger,  ask  why  they  knelt.  Picture  them  returning  home, 
thinking  of  all  they  had  seen  and  heard,  thinking  again  of 
that  old  Promise  and  how  it  had  been  at  last  fulfilled. 

2.  The  Name  of  the  Promised  One — Jesus,  the  Saviour 
of  Man. — Remind  children  of  the  Sacrament  of  Baptism, 
in  which  the  baby  is  given  his  Christian  name  and  admitted 
into  the  Church.  Explain  that  Jewish  babies  when  they 
were  eight  days  old  went  through  a  ceremony  called 
circumcision,  which  admitted  them  into  the  Jewish  Church, 
and  that  they  were  then  given  their  names.  Let  the 
children  think  how  their  parents  and  relations  chose  their 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  15 

names;  who  chose  this  Baby's  Name  ?  Let  them  read  the 
last  half  of  St.  Luke  ii.  21  and  then  St.  Luke  i.  30-32.  The 
angel  chose  it.  But  for  Whom  did  the  angel  speak  1 
For  God  His  Father.  And  the  name  Jesus  means  Saviour — 
the  Saviour  sent  by  God. 

Christ,  the  Anointed  of  God. — Tell  how,  when  the  Holy 
Child  was  a  month  old,  our  Lady  and  St.  Joseph  carried 
Him  up  to  Jerusalem  to  present  Him  to  God  His  Father  in 
the  Temple.  Picture  the  devout  Simeon  who  had  waited 
all  his  life  to  see  the  Promise  fulfilled;  tell  how  God  had 
promised  him  that  he  should  see  His  Son  before  he  died, 
and  that  when  he  saw  the  Holy  Family  in  the  Temple, 
God  told  him  that  that  Httle  Baby  was  the  i^nointed  One, 
the  Christ  King,  Who  had  come  to  reign  over  the  whole 
world,  Gentiles  as  well  as  Jews,  and  to  save  His  people 
from  their  sins.  Tell  of  Simeon's  song  of  thanksgiving 
as  he  held  the  Lord  Jesus  in  his  arms.  Let  teacher  and 
class  repeat  the  Nunc  Di  mitt  is. 

Association. — Ask  the  class  Who  it  is  Who  came  to  be 
our  Saviour — Jesus  Christ,  the  Saviour  King,  the  Son  of 
God,  the  Second  Person  of  the  Holy  Trinity;  and  how  He 
came — born  of  the  Virgin  Mary  as  a  little  Baby. 

Memory  Work. — "  I  mean  by  the  Incarnation  that  God 
the  Son  took  to  Himself  the  natm'e  of  man,  '  the  Word  was 
made  flesh  '" ;  that  is,  "  God  the  Son  took  a  body  and  soul 
like  ours,  in  the  womb  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary  by  the 
power  of  the  Holy  Ghost  "  (Cat.  40,  48). 

Expression  Work. — Write:  "How  the  Promise  was 
fulfilled." 

Print  and  illuminate :  "  A  Saviour  Who  is  Christ  the  Lord." 

7. — Lesson  Subject :  The  Promise  fulfilled  for  all 
the  World. 

Reference.— St.  Matt.  ii.  1-18. 

Apparatus. — Pictures  of  the  Visit  of  the  Wise  Men  and 
of  the  Flight  into  Egypt.  Map  of  Palestine  and  the 
surrounding  countries. 


16  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

Aim. — To  show  how  Christ  was  welcomed  by  the  wise, 
and  rejected  by  the  foolish. 

Note  to  the  Teacher. — The  Wise  Men  found  the  Holy 
Family  settled  in  a  small  house  of  their  own  (ver.  11),  which 
St.  Joseph  would  have  no  difficulty  in  acquiring  after  the  en- 
rolment was  over.  It  is  thought  that  he  probably  intended  to 
remain  in  Bethlehem,  as  a  fitting  home  for  the  Christ  Child. 

The  gifts  brought  by  the  Magi  were  the  best  natural 
products  of  their  respective  countries;  it  was  usual  in  the 
East  to  bring  presents  Avhen  coming  to  do  homage  to  a  king. 
The  Messianic  Hope  of  Israel  was  well  known  throughout 
the  East;  the  Jews  were  colonists,  and  wherever  they 
settled  they  built  synagogues  and  made  proselytes.  The 
Magi  were  the  men  of  science  of  the  period,  and,  as  has  been 
said,  "  their  science  brought  them  to  Christ."  They  would 
remain  in  Bethlehem  for  several  days,  as  the  return  journey 
was  too  long  to  be  undertaken  at  once,  and  travel  is  always 
leisurely  in  the  East. 

The  heathen  historian  Macrobius  (400  a.d.)  mentions 
the  Slaughter  of  the  Innocents  by  Herod,  and  that  his  own 
son  was  slain  amongst  them ;  he  says  that  when  Augustus 
heard  of  it  he  remarked  that  it  was  better  to  be  Herod's 
pig  (hun)  than  Herod's  son  {huion);  see  also  the  Nativity 
Play  in  Longfellow's  "  Golden  Legend." 

Egypt  was  the  nearest  place  of  safety;  it  was  outside 
Herod's  dominions,  and  under  Roman  government,  and 
contained  a  population  of  at  least  a  million  Jews.  Egypt 
itself  was  grossly  superstitious,  and  legend  represents  the 
idols  faUing  down  before  the  Holy  Child. 

Introduction. — Question  on  previous  lesson,  drawing  out 
that  Christ  came  in  fulfilment  of  a  Promise,  and  was 
recognised  as  the  Saviour-King. 

Presentation :  1.  The  Saviour-King  welcomed  by  the 
Wise  Men. — Show  map  of  Palestine  and  the  surrounding 
countries,  point  out  Bethlehem,  and  ask  Who  was  born 
there :  considering  Who  He  was,  had  He  come  to  save  His 
own  country  only  or  all  the  world  ? 


THE  AP08TLES'  CREED  17 

Let  the  class  tell  the  story  of  the  Wise  Men  if  eager  to  do 
so,  otherwise  narrate  it  graphically,  using  the  words  of  the 
Gospel  for  direct  speech.  Keep  the  lesson  along  the  fol- 
lowing lines,  whether  told  by  the  children  or  narrated  by 
the  teacher : 

The  Magi  were  learned  men,  rich  and  great ;  they  knew 
that  God  had  promised  to  send  a  King  to  the  Jews,  and  it 
was  revealed  to  them  that  a  certain  bright  new  star  in  the 
heavens  meant  that  the  Christ  was  born,  it  was  His  sign  in 
the  sky.  Probably  the  Wise  Men  lived  in  different  countries, 
but  knew  each  other  as  learned  men  usually  do,  and  met 
to  talk  over  their  discoveries.  Now  they  determined  to 
travel  together  to  find  the  King.  Each  took  the  best 
present  he  could  procure:  one  brought  gold,  which  is 
presented  to  kings;  one  brought  frankincense,  which  is 
offered  to  God ;  one  brought  myrrh,  which  is  given  to  men 
in  pain.  They  went  straight  to  King  Herod  at  Jerusalem, 
and  asked  him  to  direct  them  to  the  new-born  King. 
Herod  was  filled  with  fear  and  anger  at  the  thought  of  there 
being  any  other  king  than  himself;  he  lived  in  constant 
dread  of  losing  his  throne,  but  he  was  ashamed  to  admit 
this,  and  a  cunning  plan  crept  into  his  mind.  He  caused 
his  learned  men  to  look  up  the  old  records  and  see  where 
the  King  should  be  born  (let  the  elder  children  find  Mc.  v.  2), 
and  then,  before  the  Wise  Men  went  on  to  Bethlehem,  he 
jhad  a  long  talk  with  them,  asking  particularly  how  long 
it  was  since  they  had  seen  the  star,  and  begging  that  when 
they  had  found  the  KLing  they  would  return  and  tell  him 
where  He  was,  that  he  too  might  adore  Him. 

Then  the  beautiful  star  which  the  Magi  had  seen  in  the 
East  shone  out  before  them  in  all  its  beauty,  anddt  stood  over 
a  little  house  in  Bethlehem — continue  in  words  of  vv.  10-11. 
(Let  elder  children  discuss  the  symbolic  meaning  of  the 
gifts.)  Point  out  the  wonderful  faith  of  the  Wise  Men, 
liow  it  showed  that  they  were  truly  wise  in  that  they  believed 
Grod's  promise  and  accepted  this  poor  little  Baby  as  the 
Saviour-King.     Tell  how  they  would  rest  for  a  few  days 

2 


18  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

at  Bethlehem  before  undertaking  the  long  return  journey, 
preferring  the  cottage  home  to  the  court  of  Herod,  and  how 
God  warned  them  in  a  dream  to  return  to  their  own  country 
without  seeing  him  again.  Note  their  allegiance  to  the 
Baby-King  rather  than  the  powerful  Herod. 

2.  The  Saviour- King  rejected  by  the  foolish  Herod— King 
Herod  in  his  palace  at  Jerusalem  was  in  a  dreadful  state  of 
mind;  he  was  terribly  afraid  of  losing  his  throne,  he  had 
murdered  people  before  now  because  he  thought  that  they 
were  plotting  against  him.  If  this  Baby  at  Bethlehem 
were  beheved  to  be  the  expected  King  the  people  might 
make  Him  King  instead  of  Herod:  he  was  much  afraid. 
But  all  would  be  well  if  the  Magi  returned  and  told  him 
where  to  find  the  Child,  then  he  would  send  and  have  Him 
killed.  But  the  Magi  did  not  return,  and  when  Herod 
heard  that  they  had  gone  away  his  rage  was  great.  So  he 
sent  his  soldiers  with  orders  to  kill  all  the  baby  boys  in 
Bethlehem  and  the  neighbourhood,  from  two  years  old 
and  under,  hoping  thus  to  be  quite  sure  of  killing  the  little 
King;  but  instead,  Herod's  own  little  boy  was  killed  in 
mistake  among  the  other  children;  and  for  the  children 
themselves,  it  was  the  greatest  honour  that  could  befall 
them,  for  they  became  Christ's  first  martyrs — the  Holy 
Innocents — and  from  the  moment  of  their  death  have  been 
bHssfully  happy  in  heaven. 

But  where  was  the  Baby  King  ?  Let  the  class  tell  of 
St.  Joseph's  warning  and  the  Fhght  into  Egypt,  or  describe 
graphically.  Show  on  the  map  that  Egypt  was  the  nearest 
safe  place,  explain  that  they  would  find  some  of  their  own 
countrymen  there,  describe  the  idols  falUngon  their  faces 
before  Christ. 

Association. — Let  the  class  tell  of  all  those  who  welcomed 
the  promised  Saviour-King,  then  refer  them  to  the  prophecy 
made  to  Adam  and  Eve — that  He  should  crush  the  serpent's 
head,  but  that  the  serpent  should  "  lie  in  wait  "  for  Him — 
i.e.,  that  there  should  be  a  severe  contest  between  the 
Saviour  and  the  Evil  One.     Ask  the  class  what  attempts 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  19 

have  so  far  been  made  by  Satan  to  hurt  Him;  draw  from 
them  that  Satan  has  already  tried  twice  to  do  so:  first 
to  get  the  Wise  Men  to  betray  Him  to  Herod,  which  was 
baffled  because  of  their  obedience  to  God;  and  then  to  get 
Herod  to  injure  Him,  which  was  successful  because  Herod 
preferred  to  serve  himself  (as  he  thought),  rather  than 
God,  just  as  Adam  and  Eve  did.  The  serpent  could  not 
kill  Him,  but  he  could  and  did  hurt  Him — i.e.,  by  the  pain 
and  privation  of  the  Holy  Family  in  the  hurried  flight,  and 
their  sorrow  at  the  massacre  of  the  Innocents. 

Lead  the  children  to  see  that  the  fight  had  begun. 

Application. — Was  the  Saviom'-King  sent  for  men  of  that 
day  only  or  for  us  as  well  ? 

From  what  does  He  save  us  ? 

Has  the  Evil  One  given  up  trying  to  injure  Him  ? 

How  can  he  hurt  Him  now  ? 

How  can  we  help  or  hinder  these  attempts  of  Satan  ? 

Memory  Work. — "  The  holy  name  of  Jesus  means 
Saviom'.     The  name  Christ  means  anointed  "  (Cat.  44,  45). 

Expression  Work. — Write  the  story  of  the  visit  of  the 
Wise  Men. 

Describe  how  the  Wise  Men  and  the  foolish  King  each 
behaved  when  they  knew  that  Christ  was  born. 

Make  a  map  to  illustrate  the  lesson,  showing  the  journey 
which  love  made  the  Wise  Men  and  hatred  made  Christ 
take. 

Describe  in  writing  or  in  symbolic  drawing  what  the  Three 
Gifts  tell  us  about  our  Lord.  {E.g.,  with  a  little  help  the 
children  can  think  out  suitable  symbols:  thus,  they  might 
draw  a  throne  or  a  crown  for  the  King,  a  censer  or  an  altar 
for  God,  and  a  cross  for  our  Lord  as  Man,  writing  His 
respective  titles  under  each.) 

8.— Lesson  Subject :  The  Holy  Child  in  His  Mother's  House. 

References.— St.  Matt.  ii.  19-23;  St.  Luke  ii.  39-40. 
Apparatus. — Models     of     Eastern     cottage,     v/ater-pot, 
hand-mill,  clay  oven,  lamp,  roll  of  the  law,  etc.,  or  pictures 


20  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

of  them.      Also  pictures  of  our  Lord's  childhood  and  of 
Nazareth. 

Aim. — To  help  the  class  to  feel  the  reality  as  well  as  the 
holiness  of  our  Lord's  childhood. 

Note  to  the  Teacher. — This  lesson  should  be  as  descriptive 
as  possible:  use  all  available  models  and  pictures,  failing 
these  make  rough  sketches  and  give  vivid  word  pictures. 
A  knowledge  of  the  intimate  details  of  Eastern  life  is  very 
helpful  in  the  study  of  the  Bible,  and  as  the  East  changes 
little  Ave  have  a  fairly  clear  conception  of  the  conditions 
under  which  our  Lord  lived.  As  the  Gospel  narratives  are 
full  of  such  allusions,  it  is  well  to  give  the  children  clear 
ideas  to  begin  with,  therefore  somewhat  full  details  are 
given  below,  to  be  used  at  the  discretion  of  the  teacher 
according  to  the  intellectual  standard  and  previous  know- 
ledge of  the  class.  While  describing  the  Holy  House  at 
Nazareth  in  accordance  with  Catholic  tradition,  it  is  yet 
well  to  explain  the  usual  construction  of  the  Eastern 
cottage. 

Let  the  class  build  up  the  lesson  themselves,  as  far  as 
possible. 

Introduction. — Question  briefly  on  the  Flight  into  Egypt- 
Introductory  Presentation. — Tell  how  the  Angel  of  the 
Lord  appeared  to  St.  Joseph  in  his  sleep  and  told  him  that 
Herod  was  dead,  and  that  he  might  safely  return.  Picture 
the  joy  of  the  Holy  Family.  Tell  how  they  probably 
intended  to  return  to  Bethlehem,  the  home  of  Christ's  royal 
ancestor,  but  God  again  warned  St.  Joseph  of  danger, 
and  so  they  settled  in  Nazareth,  our  Lady's  home. 

1.  The  Holy  Child  at  Home. — Show  model  or  sketch  or 
picture  of  the  little  flat-roofed  Eastern  cottage,  with  an 
outside  stairway  leading  to  the  roof,  which  was  used  as  a 
garden  and  even  as  a  sleeping-place  in  summer.  These 
small  houses  had  usually  only  one  room.  Explain  that 
most  of  the  poorer  houses  in  Nazareth  were  like  this,  but 
our  Lad3^'s  house  is  believed  to  have  been  built  against  a 
hill  in  which  there  was  a  cave,  which  thus  formed  part  of  the 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  21 

house.  Describe  the  sleeping  arrangements — mats  or  thin 
mattresses  placed  on  the  ground,  which  were  rolled  up  in 
the  morning  and  put  away  in  a  cupboard.  Two-thirds 
of  the  floor  of  the  living-room  is  raised  about  two  feet,  and  is 
reached  by  two  or  three  steps;  here  the  family  sleep  and 
eat.  In  the  centre  of  this  raised  part  is  a  shallow  hole, 
Hned  and  domed  over  with  clay.  This  is  the  oven. 
Through  a  hole  in  the  top  grass  and  sticks  are  inserted  and 
allowed  to  burn  till  all  the  smoke  has  passed  off,  when 
the  bread  is  placed  on  the  hot  ashes  and  the  hole  covered 
over  to  keep  in  the  heat  until  it  is  baked.  Our  Lord 
mentions  this  method  of  heating  ovens  (St.  Matt.  vi.  30.) 
In  the  Eastern  cottage  there  is  no  chimney,  at  best  only  a 
hole  in  the  roof,  so  that  the  house  is  often  filled  with  smoke 
(Prov.  X.  26;  Isa.  Ixv.  5).  The  Hebrew  term  translated 
"  chimney  "  in  Osee  xiii.  3  means  a  hole  in  the  roof  or  wall, 
or  even  a  window;  the  latter  would  be  small,  unglazed  and 
protected  by  wooden  bars,  but  closed  in  cold  weather  by  a 
heavy  wooden  shutter. 

There  would  be  a  broad  shelf  containing  coarse  crockery 
and  a  few  earthenware  lamps;  and  against  the  walls 
would  stand  large  earthenware  jars,  about  three  feet  high, 
holding  water,  meal,  oil,  olives,  goat's  milk,  etc.;  while 
from  the  rafters  would  hang  strings  of  dried  figs,  pome- 
granates, and  bundles  of  dried  herbs. 

Let  the  class  think  out  the  daily  work  which  fell  to  our 
Lady's  lot,  and  suggest  ways  in  which  our  Lord  would  help, 
both  in  the  house  and  in  the  carpenter's  shop :  no  servants, 
and  the  house  to  be  kept  clean  and  tidy ;  no  Avater  laid  on, 
no  pumps,  only  the  village  well  from  which  the  water  must 
be  fetched  daily,  the  women  carrying  their  pitchers  on  then- 
heads.  (Our  Lady's  well  is  still  to  be  seen,  and  is  called 
"  Ain  Miry  am  "  by  the  native  population.)  Then  corn 
must  be  ground  in  the  hand-mill,  and  bread  baked;  and 
butter  must  be  made  in  the  goat-skin  churn  swung  to  and 
fro.  Suggest  our  Lord's  obedience  and  readiness  to  help, 
His  carefulness  over  every  task.     In  the  evening,   when 


22  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

it  grew  dark,  a  small  clay  lamp  was  lighted  and  placed  on  a 
wooden  stand  about  two  feet  high,  that  it  might  give  light 
to  all  in  the  one  room  of  the  house  (St.  Matt.  v.  15). 

2.  The  Holy  Child  at  School. — When  our  Lord  was 
quite  a  tiny  Boy  His  Mother  taught  Him  at  home.  (Let 
the  class  suggest  what  she  would  teach  Him,  and  help 
them  to  realise  that  all  the  Bible  stories  they  love  were 
doubly  interesting  to  Him,  for  they  concerned  His  own 
ancestors.) 

When  He  was  five  or  six  years  old  our  Lord  went  to 
school;  this  was  held  in  the  little  village  church,  or  syna- 
gogue as  it  was  called.  There  the  teacher  and  the  boys 
sat  on  the  floor,  and  the  boys  learned  to  read  the  sacred 
writings — the  Old  Testament — and  to  repeat  many  of 
the  Psalms  from  memory,  as  well  as  other  verses  of  the 
Bible.  Let  children  suggest  what  kind  of  School- Boy 
our  Lord  would  be. 

As  our  Lord  grew  bigger  He  would  take  long  walks  out 
into  the  beautiful  country  round  Nazareth.  The  town 
stands  on  a  high  tableland,  and  about  an  hour's  walk  away 
there  is  a  wonderful  view  from  the  edge  of  the  precipice, 
right  over  the  plain  of  Esdraelon,  from  Mount  Carmel  to 
the  Jordan.  Here  was  the  scene  of  most  of  the  events  of 
Jewish  history  of  which  He  had  learnt  in  school;  and  here 
He  would  sit  and  imagine  it  all  over  again.  Away  to  the 
right  was  Carmel,  where  Eliseus  overthrew  the  prophets 
of  Baal;  to  the  east  was  the  pool  where  Gideon  tested  his 
men;  east  again  Shunem  and  Mount  Tabor;  just  out  of 
sight,  Dothan.  Right  across  the  plain  was  the  river 
Cison;  beyond,  again,  the  waters  of  the  Jordan.  This  may 
well  have  been  our  Lord's  favourite  holiday  walk. 

3.  The  Holy  Child  at  Church. — Every  Saturday,  the 
Sabbath  Day,  our  Lord  went  with  His  Mother  to  the 
synagogue;  they  sat  in  the  gallery,  which  had  a  lattice- 
work screen  in  front  of  it,  through  which  they  looked  down 
upon  St.  Joseph  and  the  other  men  sitting  below.  They 
sang   Psalms   and   said   prayers,    standing,    and   then   sat 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  23 

while  the  Bible  was  read  and  a  sermon  preached.  The 
Jewish  Bible  was  not  bound  in  a  book;  it  was  written  on 
prepared  skins,  which  were  fastened  into  one  long  scroll 
and  put  on  rollers ;  the  Roll  of  the  Law  was  about  eighty 
feet  long  and  had  a  roller  at  either  end;  the  Roll  of  the 
Prophets  was  shorter,  and  put  on  a  single  roller,  so  that  it 
had  all  to  be  unrolled  when  one  wanted  to  find  the  p^ace 
(St.  Lukeiv.  17;  Isa.  xxxiv.  4;  Apoc.  vi.  14). 

Application. — In  what  ways  was  our  Lord's  Ufe  as  a  child 
Hke  ours  ? 

In  what  ways  was  it  different  from  ours  ? 

How  can  we  make  our  lives  more  like  His  ? 

Memory  Work.— Cat.  38. 

Expression  Work. — Describe  in  writing  our  Lord's  life 
as  a  Boy. 

Or  some  ways  in  which  He  helped  His  Mother. 

Draw  one  or  more  of  the  models. 

9.— Lesson  Subject:  The  Holy  Child  in  His  Father's  House. 

Reference. — St.  Luke  ii.  41-52. 

Apparatus. — A  model  or  plan  of  the  Temple,  a  picture  of 
Christ  in  the  Temple. 

Aim. — To  show  that  our  Lord  when  a  Boy  knew  and 
loved  His  Heavenly  Father. 

Note  to  the  Teacher. — By  Jewish  law  a  boy  was  not 
bound  to  attend  the  feasts  at  Jerusalem  until  he  came  of 
age  at  thirteen;  but  the  legal  age  was  usually  anticipated 
by  one  or  two  years.  Here  we  have  one  of  the  many 
proofs  of  St.  Luke's  knowledge  of  Jewish  customs.  Women 
were  not  bound  to  attend  the  Passover  at  Jerusalem,  but 
our  Lady  evidently  did  so  regularly,  availing  herself  of  the 
support  of  the  great  doctor  Hillel.  Possibly  these  rulings 
originated  in  the  difficulties  of  travel  for  women  and  young 
children. 

Introduction. — A  few  questions  on  the  last  lesson. 

Presentation  :  1.  Christ  goes  up  to  Jerusalem  for  the 
Passover. — Every  spring-time  our  Lady  and  St.   Joseph 


24  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

went  away  from  home  for  a  week  or  two.  No  doubt  the 
Child  Jesus  asked  where  they  were  going,  and  they  told  Him : 
"  To  Jerusalem,  to  worship  God  in  the  Temple  and  to  keep 
the  Passover."  Probably  He  asked  to  go  with  them,  and 
was  told  that  He  must  wait  till  He  was  twelve  years  old. 
We  can  imagine  how  He  would  watch  them  and  their 
friends  start  from  the  village,  following  them  with  His  eyes 
till  they  were  lost  to  sight.  How  glad  He  was  when  they 
returned  again,  telling  of  the  wonderful  services  in  which 
they  had  joined.  For  the  Jews  had  only  one  real  church 
where  the  priests  could  ofTer  sacrifice  to  God — the  Temple 
at  Jerusalem ;  the  synagogues  in  the  villages  were  like  little 
mission-rooms,  where  folk  met  to  sing  and  pray  and  hear 
sermons;  but  the  service  which  was  to  them  what  Mass  is 
to  us  was  offered  in  the  Temple  and  nowhere  else.  And 
that  service  was  an  explanation,  a  symbol  of  the  Mass  which 
was  to  come.  Morning  and  evening  a  lamb  was  offered 
to  God  by  the  priest,  so  that  when  the  Lord  Jesus  should 
come,  and  should  die  to  save  His  people,  they  might  under- 
stand that  He  was  the  Lamb  of  God,  and  that  in  the  Holy 
Sacrifice  of  the  Mass  He  is  offered  for  them  every  day. 
And  now  the  Lord  Jesus  had  come,  was  here  on  earth  as  a 
little  Boy,  longing  to  go  up  to  Jerusalem  and  take  part  in 
the  services  there.  Perhaps  from  His  twelfth  birth- 
day He  counted  the  days  to  the  Passover  (let  children 
count). 

At  last  the  spring  came,  so  warm  in  that  land  that  it  is 
like  early  summer  (barley  harvest  began  at  Passover  time). 
As  the  time  drew  near  food  would  be  prepared  for  the 
journey,  and  tents,  sleeping-mats,  etc.,  got  ready;  then 
the  donkeys  were  brought  out  and  loaded  up,  and  the  party 
from  Nazareth  would  start,  and  be  joined  by  other  parties 
on  the  way;  and  so  they  would  all  travel  along  together, 
camping  at  night,  and  starting  early  in  the  bright  morning 
sunshine.  As  they  went  along  the  people  chanted  the 
"  Psalms  of  Ascent  "  to  the  sound  of  the  flute  (the  Gradual 
Canticles,  Pss.   119-130.     Let  elder  children  find  and  read 


THE  APOSTLEvS'  CREED  25 

one  or  two  of  these  Psalms,  and  note  how  they  speak  of 
"going  up"). 

2.  Christ  in  Jerusalem. — At  last  the  travellers  came  in 
sight  of  Jerusalem,  standing  up  grandly  on  a  hill,  surrounded 
by  deep  valleys;  the  Temple  shining  above  the  city  walls, 
gleaming  with  white  marble  and  gold.  What  a  thrilhng 
moment  for  the  Child  Jesus  when  He  first  saw  the  beautiful 
city  and  glorious  Temple !  They  would  find  lodgings 
in  some  inn,  and  then  if  they  were  in  time  would  go  up  to 
the  Temple  for  the  evening  sacrifice.  First  they  would  pass 
through  a  great  court  thronged  with  people,  called  the  Court 
of  the  Gentiles,  because  those  who  were  not  Jews  were 
allowed  here;  but  beyond  a  low  stone  barrier  encircling 
the  inner  courts  the  Gentiles  might  not  pass.  Here  and 
there  were  openings  in  the  wall  for  the  Jews  to  pass  through, 
but  on  either  side  of  these  entrances  was  inscribed:  "  No 
foreigner  is  to  pass  within  the  partition  wall  and  enclosure 
round  the  Temple;  whoever  is  caught  will  be  responsible 
to  himself  for  his  death  which  ^vill  ensue  "  (See  Acts  xxi. 
28,  29,  and  Eph.  ii.  14).  The  Holy  Family  would  pass 
through  this  barrier  and  up  some  steps  to  the  Beautiful 
Gate,  with  its  wonderful  doors  of  solid  brass;  through  this 
they  would  enter  the  Court  of  the  Women,  and  here  our 
Lady  would  stay  (for  women  were  not  allowed  to  go  beyond 
it),  while  St.  Joseph  took  the  Child  Jesus  up  the  fifteen 
semicircular  steps  to  the  Gate  of  Nicanor,  and  through  it 
into  the  Court  of  Israel;  they  might  not  go  farther,  but 
over  a  low  stone  wall  in  the  centre  of  the  court  they  could 
see  into  the  Court  of  the  Priests,  (the  Court  of  Israel  ran 
round  the  Court  of  the  Priests).  In  this  court  stood  the 
Holy  House,  or  Sanctuary,  where  none  but  the  priests  might 
enter;  it  was  divided  into  the  Holy  Place  and  the  Holy  of 
Holies,  which  were  separated  by  a  veil  (St.  Matt,  xxvii.  51) ;  in 
the  Holy  Place  were  the  Golden  Seven-branched  Lampstand, 
the  Altar  of  Incense,  and  the  Table  of  Shewbread;  but  in  the 
Holy  of  Holies,  where  the  Ark  of  the  Covenant  once  had  been, 
was  nothing  but  a  slab  of  bare  rock.      (It  appears  that  the 


26  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

Ark  was  never  reproduced  after  the  destruction  of  the  first 
Temple.)  In  front  of  the  Sanctuary  stood  the  Altar  of 
Burnt  Offering,  and  the  Laver  or  basin  supported  by  twelve 
lions.  Morning  and  evening  a  lamb  was  offered  here,  and 
incense  upon  the  Altar  of  Incense,  whilst  glorious  music 
was  sung. 

We  can  imagine  our  Lord's  delight  at  all  this,  after  the 
simple  synagogue  service  to  which  He  had  been  accustomed. 
Then  came  the  solemn  Feast  of  the  Passover,  and  as  they 
sat  at  table  the  Child  Jesus,  as  the  youngest  there,  would 
be  told  to  ask  what  it  all  meant ;  He  loved  to  hear  or  tell 
the  Avonderful  story  year  by  year  (let  the  class  tell  it  if 
they  can),  how,  long  ago  when  the  Israelites  were  slaves  in 
Egypt,  God  commanded  Pharaoh  to  let  them  go  and  he 
refused  continually;  then  God  told  the  people  to  prepare 
for  a  journey,  and  each  family  was  to  kill  a  lamb  and  put 
some  of  its  blood  upon  the  door-post;  and  they  were  to 
roast  the  lamb  and  bake  unleavened  bread  (for  their 
bread-troughs  were  packed  with  their  other  belongings), 
and  eat  the  meal  in  haste,  ready  dressed  for  their  journey. 
And  that  night  the  Angel  of  the  Lord  passed  over  the  land 
and  slew  the  eldest  son  in  every  Egyptian  home,  but  in 
the  homes  of  Israel,  where  the  blood  of  the  lamb  was  upon 
the  door-post,  no  one  died.  Then  the  Egyptians  urged 
the  Israelites  to  be  gone,  and  they  passed  over  the  Red  Sea 
into  freedom.  And  ever  since  God's  people  had  kept  the 
Feast  of  the  Passover  year  by  year,  eating  a  lamb  and 
bread  made  without  yeast,  as  if  they,  too,  were  in  a  hurry 
to  be  gone ;  and  praising  and  thanking  the  Lord  for  His  great 
deliverance. 

3.  Christ  stays  behind  in  the  Temple. — Picture  our  Lord 
walking  in  the  Temple  coui'ts  with  His  Mother,  and  let  the 
class  say  what  she  would  be  likely  to  tell  Him  about  the 
last  time  He  had  been  there,  as  a  little  Baby.  Let  them 
think  how  much  at  home  He  would  feel,  and  how  He  would 
long  to  know  more  about  the  Temple  and  its  worship. 
Tell  how  during  the  Passover  Week,   as  on  other  great 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  27 

Feasts,  learned  men  sat  in  the  Temple  courts  and  taught 
all  who  cared  to  listen. 

When  our  Lady  and  St.  Joseph  left  Jerusalem  to  return 
home,  the  Lord  Jesus  felt  that  He  must  stay  behind  in  His 
Father's  house,  where  He  so  loved  to  be.  Tell  how  they 
started  without  Him,  not  missing  Him  because  each  thought 
He  was  with  the  other,  for  men  and  women  travelled  separ- 
ately. But  Avhen  the  tent  was  put  up  for  the  night  they 
found  that  He  was  not  with  them.  Picture  their  anxiety, 
how  they  went  from  tent  to  tent,  asking  everyone  if  they 
had  seen  Him,  but  still  hearing  nothing  of  Him,  how  they 
could  hardly  sleep  that  night,  their  hasty  return  to  Jerusa- 
lem next  day,  and  their  anxious  search  through  the  city. 
At  last,  after  three  days  of  anxiety,  they  went  into  the 
Temple,  perhaps  to  pray  for  his  safety,  and  there,  in  the 
circle  of  students  sitting  round  the  learned  men,  they  found 
the  lost  Child — eagerly  listening,  asking  questions,  and 
giving  wonderful  answers  to  the  questions  He  was  asked. 
The  learned  doctors  must  have  felt  that  here  was  a  pupil 
indeed. 

Our  Lady  would  wait  and  listen  until  the  lesson  was  over, 
and  then  she  went  up  to  Him  and  said:  "  Son,  why  hast 
Thou  done  so  to  us  ?  behold  Thy  father  and  I  have  sought 
Thee  sorrowing."  But  he  answered:  "  How  is  it  that  you 
sought  Me  ?  did  you  not  know  that  I  must  be  about  My 
Father's  business  ?  " 

Then  He  returned  with  them  to  Nazareth,  and  lived  there 
quietly,  obeying  His  Mother  and  St.  Joseph  in  all  things, 
and  working  in  the  carpenter's  shop. 

Application.  —  Why  was  our  Lord  so  eager  to  go  to 
Jerusalem  ? 

Why  did  He  stay  behind  in  the  Temple  ? 
Why  was  He  more  at  home  there  than  at  Nazareth  ? 
Where  do  we  worship  God  ? 
Where  do  we  learn  about  God  ? 
.  If  we  love  our  heavenly  Father  how  shall  we  show  our 
love? 


28  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

Memory  Work.— Cat.  49. 

Expression  Work. — Describe  Christ's  journey  to  Jerusa- 
lem and  what  He  saw  and  did  there. 
Print  and  colour  Ps.  cxxi.  1. 

10. — Lesson  Subject :  The  Baptism  of  Christ. 

References.— St.  Matt.  iii.  M7;  St.  Mark  i.  2-11; 
St.  Luke  iii.  1-23;  Isa.  xl.  3;  Gen.  i.  1-2;  St.  John  i.  1-3. 

Apparatus. — Picture  of  the  Baptism  of  Christ. 

Aim. — ^To  show  Christ  as  the  expected  King  entering 
into  possession  of  His  Kingdom,  and  revealed  as  the  Second 
Person  of  the  Holy  Trinity. 

Introduction. — Question  on  previous  lessons:  who  knew 
that  the  King  had  come  ?     Who  knew  Who  He  was  ? 

Presentation  :  1.  The  People  expect  the  King, — The 
Jewish  people,  for  hundreds  of  years,  had  lived  in  expecta- 
tion of  their  King;  few  knew  that  He  had  come;  none  of 
His  neighbours  in  Nazareth  knew  that  the  carpenter's 
son  was  He,  though  He  had  lived  among  them  from 
childhood  until  He  was  now  a  man,  thirty  years  old. 

The  people  knew  that  when  the  King  came  a  herald  would 
proclaim  His  coming:  the  prophets  who  foretold  His 
advent  had  said  that  there  should  be  "  the  voice  of  one 
crying  in  the  desert :  Prepare  ye  the  way  of  the  Lord,  make 
straight  in  the  wilderness  the  paths  of  our  God."  And 
suddenly  such  a  voice  was  heard  ! 

Down  by  the  lonely  places  of  the  Jordan  River  a  great 
prophet  was  preaching;  a  strange  figure,  dressed  in  skins, 
and  eating  only  such  food  as  he  could  find  in  the  wilderness. 
"  Repent,"  he  cried,  "  for  the  Kingdom  of  God  is  at  hand  !" 
Crowds  of  people  went  out  into  the  desert  to  hear  him,  to 
learn  of  the  coming  of  the  King.  It  was  a  j^ear  when  there 
was  little  work  to  do,  a  "  Sabbath  Year  "  when  the  land 
was  given  a  rest  and  not  cultivated,  so  the  people  had  time 
to  go  into  the  wilderness  and  listen.  St.  John  told  them 
that  the  King  was  coming  and  thej^  must  make  read}^  for 
Him. 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  29 

"  What  shall  we  do  ?"  they  asked. 

"  You  must  make  your  hearts  ready,"  he  told  them, 
"  be  kind  to  other  people,  share  your  clothes  and  food  with 
them  if  you  have  plenty  and  they  are  in  need." 

"  What  shall  we  do  ?"  asked  the  tax-collectors,  who  were 
often  unjust. 

"  Be  honest,  and  do  not  take  more  than  is  fair,"  said 
St.  John. 

"  And  what  shall  we  do  ?"  asked  the  rough  soldiers. 

"  Hurt  no  one,  do  not  quarrel,  be  content  with  your 
wages." 

Everj^one  was  helped  to  see  and  to  conquer  his  besetting 
sin ;  and  all  those  who  meant  to  try  and  lead  good  lives  were 
baptized  in  Jordan,  confessing  their  sins,  so  that  they 
might  be  ready  for  the  coming  of  the  King. 

And  as  the  people  watched  St.  John  the  Baptist,  so  great 
and  so  holy,  they  thought:  "  Can  he  be  the  King  ?"  But 
St.  John  answered:  "I  indeed  baptize  you  with  water, 
but  there  shall  come  one  mightier  than  I,  the  latchet  of 
whose  shoes  I  am  not  worthy  to  loose;  He  shall  baptize 
you  with  the  Holy  Ghost  and  with  fire." 

2.  The  King  comes  to  His  Kingdom. — Then,  one  day, 
Jesus  Himself  appeared,  and  He  came  to  St.  John  to  be 
baptized  by  him.  But  St.  John,  who  felt  himseK  unworthy 
even  to  be  His  slave,  protested.  "  I  have  need  to  be 
baptized  by  Thee,"  he  said,  "  and  comest  Thou  to  me  ?" 
"  Let  it  be  so  now,"  answered  our  Lord,  for  He  wished  to 
enter  His  Kingdom  by  the  same  door  as  His  subjects;  and 
St.  John  obeyed. 

3.  The  Dignity  of  the  King  revealed. — There  in  the 
Jordan,  St.  John  the  Baptist  baptized  the  Lord,  and  as 
He  came  up  out  of  the  water,  praying  to  His  Father  in 
heaven,  lo,  the  heavens  opened  and  the  Spirit  of  God 
descended  upon  Him  Hke  a  dove,  hghting  upon  Him,  and 
there  came  a  Voice  from  heaven  saying:  "Ihis  is  My 
beloved  Son,  in  Whom  I  am  well  pleased." 

Association. — Refer  the  class  to  the  lesson  on  the  Holy 


30  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

Trinity,  ask  what  we  then  learnt  about  God — one  God  in 
Three  Persons.  Let  them  again  find  and  read  Gen.  i.  1-2, 
and  St.  John  i.  1-3  and  notice  that  all  Three  Persons  are 
mentioned.  Ask  what  we  have  just  heard  in  this  lesson 
which  reminds  us  of  that,  and  if  possible  di-aw  from  the 
class  that  at  the  Baptism  of  Christ  all  Three  Persons  of  the 
Blessed  Trinity  were  seen  together,  as  it  were.  Then  refer 
to  the  Fall  and  Promise  of  Redemption  and  lead  the  children 
to  see  which  Person  of  the  Holy  Trinity  it  is  Who  came  to 
be  our  Saviour. 

Memory  Work. — "  The  mystery  of  the  Three  Persons  in 
one  God  is  called  the  mystery  of  the  Blessed  Trinity.  By 
a  mystery  I  mean  a  truth  which  is  above  reason,  but 
revealed  by  God.  Jesus  Christ  is  the  Second  Person  of  the 
Blessed  Trinity  "  (Cat.  27,  28,^36). 

Expression  Work. — Write  an  account  of  Christ's  Baptism. 

Print  Cat.  36. 

Christ's  Power  over  Evil. 
11.— ^Lesson  Subject:  The  Temptation  in  the  Wilderness. 

References.— St.  Matt.  iv.  Ml;  St.  Mark  i.  12,  13; 
St.  Luke  iv.  1-13. 

Apparatus. — Pictures  illustrative  of  the  lesson,  pre- 
ferably those  by  W.  Hole. 

Aim. — To  show  our  Lord's  victory  over  the  devil,  and 
His  power  to  help  us  in  temptation. 

Introduction. — A  few  questions  on  the  last  lesson, 
bringing  out  that  the  Saviour-King  had  entered  His 
Kingdom,  had  declared  war,  as  it  Avere,  on  the  Evil  One, 
who  had  tried  to  obtain  it  for  his  own,  and  who  had  opposed 
the  King  from  the  very  first. 

Presentation  ;  1.  The  King  goes  forth  to  meet  His  Enemy. 
— At  last  the  Lord  Jesus  had  allowed  Himself  to  be  pro- 
claimed openly  as  the  expected  King,  the  Saviour  promised 
so  long  ago  to  Adam  and  Eve — sent  by  God  the  Father 
and  inspired  by  God  the  Holy  Ghost,  Ho  Himself  being 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  31 

actually  God  the  Son,  though  at  the  same  time  really  and 
truly  man,  one  of  us. 

Then,  directly  after  His  baptism  our  Lord  went  away  into 
the  lonely  wilderness,  into  retreat,  there  to  make  His  plans 
for  saving  the  world,  there  to  meet  and  overthrow  His 
enemy. 

Now  the  devil  knew  that  our  Lord  was  man,  but  whether 
He  was  more  than  man  he  did  not  know ;  he  knew  how  easy 
it  was  to  tempt  men  and  therefore  he  hoped  that  he  could 
successfully  tempt  Him  also,  and  he  did  tempt  the  Lord 
Jesus  just  as  really  and  truly  as  he  tempts  us  to-day — with 
what  result  we  shall  see. 

2.  The  King  fights  with  His  Enemy. — The  Lord  had  eaten 
no  food  for  forty  days  and  forty  nights.  He  had  been 
busy  planning  out  the  best  way  to  save  the  world;  His 
plans  were  all  made  now  and  He  had  time  to  think  of 
Himself,  and  He  found  that  He  Avas  very  hungry.  All 
around  Him  lay  flat  white  stones,  just  like  the  cakes  of 
bread  His  Mother  used  to  make,  and  they  made  Him  feel 
hungrier  still.  Just  then  the  devil  suggested :  "  Turn  these 
stones  into  bread.  You  know  you  have  the  power,  You 
can  do  it  if  You  wish."  But  the  Lord  Jesus  had  just  made 
a  rule  that  He  would  never  use  His  wonderful  power  to  help 
Himself;  He  knew  that  His  Father  had  given  it  to  Him  to 
use  for  His  work,  not  to  make  things  easy  for  Him  on  earth, 
so  He  refused.  He  said  to  the  devil:  "  Man  liveth  not  by 
bread  alone,  but  by  every  word  that  proceedeth  out  of  the 
mouth  of  God."  That  is:  "Comfort  isn't  everything; 
there  is  something  better  than  having  food  and  pleasure, 
and  that  is,  pleasing  God." 

So  you  see  here  was  our  Lord's  first  rule:  "  To  care  more 
about  pleasing  God  than  about  pleasing  yourself." 

Probably,  from  where  He  sat  in  the  wilderness,  our  Lord 
could  see  the  distant  shining  pinnacle  of  the  Temple;  He 
knew  that  a  great  crowd  of  people  would  be  there,  joining 
in  the  services  and  praising  God.  Those  were  the  people 
He  had  come  to  save:  He  must  show  them  that  He  was 


32  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

the  Son  of  God  and  sent  by  God  to  teach  them  what  He 
would  have  them  do;  for  they  had  got  such  wrong  ideas 
about  Him,  and  thought  that  their  own  silly  little  rules 
were  God's  rules.  The  Lord  knew  that  it  would  be  very 
difficult  to  teach  them,  He  knew  that  He  could  best  prove 
Who  He  was  by  dying  on  the  cross  and  rising  again,  for  He 
knew  that  people  would  hate  Him  and  disbelieve  what  He 
told  them.  And  then  the  devil  suggested:  "  Why  let  them 
hate  You  and  kill  You  ?  Why  not  show  Who  You  are 
once  for  all  ?  Jump  down  from  the  pinnacle  of  the  Temple 
while  the  court  below  is  full  of  people:  You  will  not  be 
hurt,  for  God  has  promised  to  give  His  angels  charge  over 
You,  to  save  You  even  from  hurting  Your  foot  against  a 
stone.  So  You  need  not  be  afraid,  and  if  You  really  are 
the  Son  of  God  this  will  prove  it."  But  the  Lord  answered : 
"  It  is  written:  '  Thou  shalt  not  tempt  the  Lord  thy  God.'  " 
To  do  this  would  be  to  run  into  danger  without  cause,  and 
it  would  be  to  shirk  difficulties  and  choose  the  easy  path, 
which  is  never  God's  will.  Here  we  see  our  Lord's  second 
rule:  "  Never  shirk  difficulties  and  choose  the  easy  way." 

As  the  Lord  Jesus  looked  away  to  the  distant  blue  hills 
He  thought  of  all  the  countries  in  the  world,  and  how  He 
had  come  to  save  all  people.  He  knew  that  the  devil 
would  oppose  Him,  that  he  Avould  urge  people  to  kill 
Christians,  that  he  would  even  make  Christians  hate  each 
other.  The  Lord  saw  all  the  misery  and  suffering  to  come 
tliroughout  the  ages.  Then  the  devil  suggested:  "You 
shall  be  King  over  all  the  world  and  I  will  not  fight  against 
You  if  You  will  fall  down  and  worship  me."  Worship  the 
devil !  Make  friends  with  him  !  Give  way  to  him  !  Why, 
that  was  just  what  Adam  and  Eve  did,  what  the  Lord  Jesus 
had  come  to  save  us  from  doing.  He  turned  on  him  in 
wrath  and  commanded:  "  Begone,  Satan,  for  it  is  written: 
*  The  Lord  thy  God  shalt  thou  adore  and  Him  only  shalt 
thou  serve.'  "  And  the  devil,  beaten,  slunk  away,  /or  a 
time.  Then  the  Angels  came  and  ministered  unto  the 
Lord  Jesus. 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  33 

So  this  was  the  Lord's  third  rule:  "  Never  give  way  to 
the  devil,  never  listen  to  his  suggestions." 

Association. — Let  the  class  think  out  how  Adam  and  Eve 
met  temptation  by  breaking  each  one  of  these  rules.  Lead 
them  to  see  that  Christ  had  begun  to  "  crush  the  serpent's 
head." 

Application. — Help  the  class  to  see  in  what  way  the  three 
temptations  come  to  us;  and  how  our  Lord's  rules  were 
made  to  help  us;  ask  what  it  is  best  to  do  when  tempted 
by  the  devil,  who  is  much  stronger  and  cleverer  than  we 
are ;  draw  from  children  that  as  our  Lord  has  utterly  con- 
quered him  He  is  able  to  save  us  when  tempted. 

Memory  Work.— Cat.  43. 

Expression  Work. — Write  out  three  rules  for  use  when 
tempted. 

Write  an  account  of  Christ's  temptation. 

Christ's  Power  over  Nature. 
12.— Lesson  Subject :  The  Water  made  Wine. 

Reference. — St.  Johnii.  1-11. 

Apparatus. — A  picture  of  the  wedding  at  Cana. 

Aim. — To  show  Christ  as  Lord  of  Nature,  the  Creator  of 
the  world,  the  loving  Giver  of  all  good  things. 

Introduction. — Ask  the  children  if  they  have  been  to  a 
wedding,  draw  from  them  all  they  know  of  the  ceremony. 

Presentation;  1.  The  Marriage  at  Cana. — To-day  we  are 
going  to  imagine  ourselves  as  guests  at  a  wedding,  which 
took  place  over  1900  years  ago.  It  was  in  a  little  village 
of  Galilee  named  Cana,  not  far  from  Nazareth.  The  custom 
was  for  weddings  to  take  place  at  night.  When  it  grew 
dark  a  party  of  the  bridegroom's  friends  went  to  the  bride's 
house  to  fetch  her.  She  came  out  dressed  in  beautiful 
clothes,  with  her  long  hair  flowing  round  her,  and  covered 
with  a  veil.  Her  girl  friends  walked  beside  her;  while  in 
front  of  her  went  people  playing  various  instruments, 
and  others  who  gave  away  presents  of  wine  and  oil  to  all 


34  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

whom  they  met,  and  threw  nuts  among  the  children. 
Everybody  was  gay  and  happy,  all  the  neighbours  wore 
their  prettiest  clothes  and  carried  blazing  torches,  or  lamps 
on  poles,  and  those  nearest  the  bride  held  myrtle-branches 
or  crowns  of  flowers.  Everyone  whom  they  met  joined  the 
procession  to  show  their  good  wishes,  and  it  looked  very 
pretty  as  it  moved  through  the  streets.  When  they  came 
to  the  bridegroom's  house  the  bride  was  led  to  him  and 
they  were  married,  then  they  were  both  crowned  with 
flowers.  Next  followed  a  splendid  feast.  They  went  into 
the  great  dining-room,  which  was  brightly  lit  with  lamps 
and  candles;  there  the  guests  sat  round  the  tables  on  chairs, 
or  reclined  on  couches  covered  with  soft  rugs  and  cushions. 
Presently  there  would  be  music  and  singing,  and  perhaps 
dancing. 

2.  The  Invited  Guest. — But  one  thing  made  this  bride 
and  bridegroom  happy  beyond  words.  Who  do  you  think 
was  among  the  guests  ?  (Let  the  children  tell  if  they  can.) 
Our  Lady  had  been  asked  to  the  wedding.  Our  Lord  was 
away  from  home  at  the  time,  but  just  before  the  wedding 
He  came  to  stay  in  the  village,  and  the  bridegroom  at  once 
sent  to  ask  Him  and  the  four  friends  who  were  with  Him. 
Some  people  think  that  this  wedding  took  place  on  the  Lord 
Jesus'  birthday,  if  so  it  would  be  a  pleasant  birthday  party 
for  Him.  Of  course  the  Lord  accepted  the  invitation,  and 
of  course  it  made  the  party  much  nicer  to  have  Him  there. 

3.  The  Water  made  Wine. — The  wedding  feast  was  going 
on  very  happily,  but  presently  our  Lady  noticed  the  ser- 
vants looking  troubled,  and  the  ruler  of  the  feast,  who 
was  responsible  for  everything  going  well,  seemed  most 
anxious.  She  knew  there  was  something  wrong,  and  per- 
haps asked  what  it  was  so  that  she  might  help,  or  perhaps 
they  came  and  told  her.  The  trouble  was  that  there  was 
no  more  wine,  and  it  was  considered  a  great  disgrace  if 
the  wine  ran  short  and  the  guests  had  not  sufficient.  Our 
Lady  was  always  anxious  to  help  people,  and  she  wondered 
what  she  could  do.     (Ask  the  children  Whom  she  would 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  35 

ask  for  help.)  No  doubt  it  was  what  she  always  did  when 
in  a  diificulty,  it  was  enough  just  to  tell  Jesus  that  something 
was  wanted,  and  He  would  find  a  way  to  help;  but  she 
probably  had  not  the  least  idea  what  He  would  do.  How- 
ever, she  went  straight  to  Him  and  said  softly :  "  They  have 
no  wine."  Then  she  turned  to  the  servants,  saying, 
"  Whatsoever  He  saith  unto  you,  do  it." 

The  Lord  Jesus  was  very  sorry  for  this  trouble  about  the 
wine,  He  knew  how  it  would  worry  the  ruler  of  the  feast 
and  the  bridegroom;  perhaps  the  supply  had  run  short 
because  He  and  His  friends  had  come  in  at  the  last  minute 
and  that  had  made  a  difference  in  the  provision.  He  looked 
round.  Outside  the  dining-room  stood  six  enormous 
stone  jars,  empty  now,  for  they  had  held  water  for  the 
washing  of  the  guests'  hands  before  they  sat  down  to  the 
feast.  The  Lord  Jesus  signed  to  the  servants.  "  Fill 
the  water-pots  with  water,"  He  said;  they  obeyed  quickly, 
bringing  up  big  skin  water-bottles  and  filling  the  great  jars 
right  up  to  the  brim.  "  Draw  out  now,  and  carry  to  the 
ruler  of  the  feast  !"  commanded  the  Lord;  and  they 
tilted  the  huge  pots  and  poured  their  contents  into  little 
earthen  bottles  for  the  table — and  it  was  no  longer  water, 
but  wine,  good  rich  red  wine  !  And  when  the  ruler  of  the 
feast  tasted  it  he  turned  to  the  bridegroom  in  astonishment 
(for  he  had  no  idea  where  the  wine  came  from,  though  the 
servants  knew).  "  Most  people  bring  out  the  best  wine 
first,"  he  exclaimed,  "  and  when  the  guests  have  had 
plenty,  then  they  bring  out  wine  which  is  not  so  good ;  but 
you  have  kept  the  best  wine  until  now  !" 

And  the  disciples  saw  this  wonderful  miracle,  and  it 
taught  them  something  about  the  Lord  Jesus  v/hich  they 
did  not  know  before. 

Assbciation. — Let  the  class  now  discuss  the  revelation 
of  Divine  power  displayed  in  this  miracle.  In  some  such 
way  as  the  following  lead  them  to  see  that  Christ  here 
showed  Himself  as  the  Creator  of  the  world : 

What  must  the  disciples  have  thought  of  this  miracle  ? 


36  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

They  had  often  seen  grapes  growing — wee  green  things 
which  gradually  ripened  in  the  sun  and  rain  till  full  of 
sweet  juice — what  was  there  in  this  miracle  to  remind  them 
of  that  ? 

Who  made  the  grapes  grow  ? 

Then  Who  must  the  Lord  Jesus  be  ? 

Let  the  children  find  and  read  Gen.  i.  11-13  and  St.  John 
i.  1-3. 

Memory  Work.— Cat.  31. 

Expression  Work. — Write  an  account  of  the  miracle  of 
Cana ;  or  trace  how  some  of  our  daily  food  is  made  by  God 
through  the  action  of  sun  and  rain;  or  draw  or  model  the 
water-pot;  or  print  and  illuminate,  "  All  things  were  made 
by  Him." 

13.— Lesson  Subject :  The  Feeding  of  the  Five  Thousand. 

References.— St.  Matt.  xiv.  13-21;  St.  Mark  vi.  30-44; 
St.  Luke  ix.  10-17;  St.  John  vi.  1-14. 

Apparatus. — Map  of  the  Sea  of  GaHlee,  picture  of  the 
feeding  of  the  five  thousand. 

Aim. — As  in  preceding  lesson. 

Introduction. — A  few  questions  on  the  previous  lesson, 
drawing  out  that  the  miracle  was  worked  to  supply  a  need. 

Presentation  :  1.  Christ  and  His  Disciples. — More  than  a 
year  had  passed  since  that  first  wonderful  miracle  which 
our  Lord  worked  at  Cana;  He  had  twelve  disciples  with 
"Him  now,  and  they  had  seen  Him  do  many  wonderful 
things;  more  than  that,  He  had  given  them  some  of  His 
own  power,  and  they  had  done  wonderful  things  too- 
The  Lord  Jesus  was  in  Capharnaum  (show  on  map),  and 
the  disciples  whom  He  had  sent  out  to  preach  had  come  back 
to  Him  there,  feehng  very  happy  because  they  had  been 
able  to  heal  sick  people  by  the  power  of  the  Lord.  (Let 
the  class  discuss  what  they  would  wish  to  do  when  they 
returned  to  Him  after  a  long  absence — i.e.,  have  a  long 
quiet  talk  about  all  they  had  done.  Lead  children  to  see 
that  this  was  impossible  in  the  town  because  the  crowd 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  37 

would  never  leave  our  Lord  alone,  but  were  continually 
coming  to  Him  for  teaching  and  healing.  Tell  elder 
children  that  Christ  had  just  heard  of  the  murder  of 
St.  John  the  Baptist,  and  explain  the  difference  this  would 
make  to  His  plans — i.e.,  the  angry  multitudes  would  wish 
to  make  Him  an  avenging  leader,  and  Herod  would  try 
to  kill  Him,  he  was  already  asking  questions  about  Him. 
Show  that  it  was  wise  to  leave  Herod's  territory;  point  out 
that  our  Lord  kept  out  of  danger  until  the  time  when  He 
chose  to  die.  So  Christ  took  His  disciples  across  the  Lake 
to  a  quiet  country  place  He  knew.  He  wanted  to  be  alone 
with  them  and  to  hear  about  all  they  had  done.  Besides, 
they  needed  rest  and  quiet,  and  in  Capharnaum  "  they 
had  not  so  much  as  time  to  eat." 

2.  Christ  and  the  Multitude.— But  the  people  saw  the 
well-known  boat  saihng  across  the  Lake.  Our  Lord  was 
always  using  it  and  they  grew  to  look  for  its  coming; 
perhaps  there  was  a  patch  on  the  sail  by  which  they  recog- 
nised it.  Anyhow,  when  they  saw  that  boat  crossing  the 
Lake  they  knew  Whose  it  was  and  guessed  where  it  was 
going,  and  hurried  round  the  head  of  the  Lake  on  foot, 
to  meet  Him.  (Show  on  map.)  There  were  a  great  many 
people  about  at  this  time  because  it  was  just  before  the 
Passover.  (Let  class  discuss  why  multitudes  were  abroad 
then,  in  the  light  of  a  former  lesson  about  the  people  going 
up  to  the  Passover  in  companies.  Tell  elder  children  that 
we  know  it  was  Passover-time  by  St.  John  vi.  4  and  the 
allusion  to  the  "  green  grass,"  St.  Mark  vi.  39 — let  them 
find  the  references— ^or  in  that  climate  soon  after  the 
Passover  the  grass  is  no  longer  green.)  Picture  the  situa- 
tion to  the  class — the  Lord  Jesus  and  His  twelve  disciples, 
all  of  them  tired  and  hungry,  longing  for  rest :  in  front  of 
them  the  beautiful  quiet  spot  in  the  hills  which  they  had 
crossed  the  Lake  to  find:  hurrying  after  them  a  crowd  of 
people  just  coming  into  sight  round  the  bend  of  the  Lake, 
men  and  women  and  little  children,  many  of  them  ill,  all 
of  them  longing  to  be  taught  by  Him.     Let  the  class  discuss 


38  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

what  He  would  do,  in  view  of  His  action  in  the  preceding 
story:  would  He  recross  the  Lake  to  escape  from  them, 
or  go  farther  inland  away  from  them,  or  remain  to  teach 
and  heal  them  ? 

All  day  long  He  taught  them,  and  healed  all  who  were 
sick,  and  at  last  the  evening  shadows  began  to  fall.  The 
disciples  came  to  Jesus  looking  very  troubled.  "It  is 
getting  late,"  they  said  anxiously,  "  send  the  people  away 
that  they  may  go  into  the  towns  and  villages  round  about 
and  buy  themselves  bread ;  this  is  a  desert  place,  they  cannot 
get  any  thing  here. ' '  But  would  our  Lord  send  them  hungry 
away?  He  turned  to  His  disciples  and  said:  "They 
need  not  go  away,  give  them  some  food."  They  answered, 
"  Shall  we  go  and  buy  two  hundred  pennyworth  of  bread 
for  them  ?"  (£G  or  £7  worth,  perhaps  all  the  money 
they  had  with  them.)  Our  Lord  turned  to  St.  Philip,  who 
lived  in  the  neighbourhood,  and  asked:  "  Where  shall  we 
buy  enough  bread  for  all  these  people  ?"  Philip  looked 
at  the  great  crowd  and  said  thoughtfully:  "  Two  hundred 
penny Avorth  of  bread  would  not  be  enough  for  them." 
He  did  not  know  what  could  be  done.  Christ  turned  to  the 
other  disciples  and  bade  them  go  and  see  how  many  loaves 
they  had  with  them.  "  Five,"  they  told  Him,  "  and  two 
small  fishes,"  adding  "  but  what  are  they  among  so  many  ?" 
The  Lord  Jesus  had  let  the  disciples  discuss  the  matter  to 
see  if  they  could  find  a  way  out;  now  He  took  command. 

3.  Christ  feeds  the  Multitude. —  "  Make  the  men  sit 
down,"  said  our  Lord;  the  disciples  obeyed  at  once,  though 
they  had  not  the  least  idea  what  He  \w)uld  do.  There  was 
plenty  of  fresh  green  grass  just  there,  pleasant  to  sit  upon, 
and  the  disciples  went  among  the  people  and  arranged 
them  in  groups  of  fifties  and  hundreds,  so  that  they  could 
easily  pass  among  them  and  serve  them.  When  they  were 
all  seated  it  must  have  been  a  pretty  sight:  the  men  and 
women  and  children  in  their  brightly  coloured  clothes, 
sitting  on  the  grass  in  the  light  of  the  setting  sun.  "  Bring 
the  loaves  and  fishes  to  Me,"  commanded  the  Lord.     They 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  39 

brought  them,  wondering ;  probably  it  was  their  own  supper. 
Then  the  Lord  took  those  Httle  flat  loaves  of  coarse  dark 
barley  bread  into  His  hands,  and  looked  up  to  heaven 
and  said  Grace  over  it,  and  broke  it  and  gave  it  to  the 
disciples,  and  with  it  some  of  the  little  pickled  fish  which 
the  people  usually  ate  as  a  rehsh  to  their  bread.  Disciple 
after  disciple  came  up  with  his  big  willow  basket,  and  the 
Lord  filled  the  basket  with  food  and  the  disciple  carried 
it  to  the  groups  of  people  sitting  on  the  grass,  and  then 
came  back  for  more ;  and  still  the  Lord  gave  more,  and  the 
bread  and  fish  continually  multiplied  in  His  hands;  until 
at  length  that  great  multitude  of  people — five  thousand  men 
besides  women  and  children — had  had  all  they  could  eat 
and  more  besides.  "  Gather  up  the  fragments  that  remain," 
said  our  Lord,  and  the  disciples  gathered  twelve  baskets 
full. 

Association. — Let  the  class  find  Gen.  i.  20  and  29,  and 
notice  the  analogy  between  those  acts  of  creation  and 
these. 

Memory  Work.— Cat.  32. 

Expression  Work. — Write  the  story,  or  make  a  map  of 
the  Lake  in  clay,  sand,  or  plasticine,  or  draw  it. 

14. — Lesson  Subject  :  The  Stilling  o£  the  Storms. 

References.— St.  Matt.  viii.  18,  23-27;  St.  Mark  iv.  35-40; 
St.  Luke  viii.  22-25;  and  St.  Matt.  xiv.  22-23;  St.  Mark  vi. 
45-52;  St.  John  vi.  15-21. 

Apparatus. — Map  of  the  Lake  of  Gahlee,  model  or  sketch 
of  Gahlean  fishing-boat.     Pictures  of  the  scenes. 

Aim. — To  show  Christ  as  Lord  of  Nature,  the  loving 
Creator  and  Preserver  of  all  mankind. 

Introduction. — Question  on  the  last  lesson,  and  how  the 
people  noticed  when  our  Lord  crossed  the  Lake. 

Presentation. — Show  model  or  sketch  of  fishing-boat, 
point  out  that  four  of  Christ's  disciples  were  fishermen,  and 
it  was  doubtless  one  of  their  boats  which  He  used;  probably 
that  of  St.   James  and  St.   John  for  longer  journeys    as 


40  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

theirs  would  be  larger  and  was  rowed  by  servants  (St.  Matt, 
xiv.  33). 

1.  The  First  Stilling  of  the  Storm.— One  day  the  Lord 
Jesus  had  had  a  more  than  usually  tiring  time;  He  had  been 
healing  and  teaching  people  all  day  long,  and  when  evening 
came  was  quite  worn  out.  So  He  said  to  the  disciples: 
"  Let  us  go  over  unto  the  other  side  of  the  Lake  ;"  and  they 
quickly  got  the  boat  ready  and  started  in  haste,  no  doubt 
feehng  very  anxious  to  get  the  Lord  Jesus  away  so  that 
He  might  rest,  for  He  never  took  any  care  of  Himself. 
He  was  very  tired,  for  almost  as  soon  as  they  started  He  fell 
asleep  on  the  hard  steersman's  cushion  at  the  stern  of  the 
boat.  The  sail  was  set,  and  they  skimmed  across  the  peace- 
ful Lake  they  knew  so  well,  but  suddenly  a  great  storm  swept 
down  upon  them,  as  often  happens  there,  for  the  hills  on 
either  side  form  a  sort  of  funnel  through  which  the  wind 
sweeps  with  great  force.  The  waves,  lashed  by  the  wind, 
beat  up  into  the  ship  and  filled  it  with  water  faster  than  they 
could  bail  it  out.  They  climbed  up  and  reefed  the  sail  in 
haste,  else  the  boat  would  have  been  overturned,  but  even 
so  the  ship  was  filling  fast  and  they  might  sink  at  any 
moment. 

And  all  this  while  the  Lord  Jesus  slept,  with  His  head 
on  the  pillow  in  the  stern.  At  last,  in  theu'  desperation, 
the  disciples  cried  to  Him  for  help:  "Master,  Master,  we 
perish !  carest  Thou  not  that  we  perish  ?  Lord  save  us, 
we  perish  !"  Their  cries  woke  Him.  He  stood  up,  tall 
and  calm  and  beautiful  amid  the  frightened  men  and 
raging  seas.  "  Why  are  you  fearful  ?"  He  asked  them. 
"  Have  you  no  faith  ?"  And  then  He  turned  to  the  winds 
and  waves  and  rebuked  them,  saying:  "Peace,  be  still  !" 
And  the  wind  ceased,  and  there  was  a  great  calm.  (Show 
picture.) 

Let  the  class  find  and  read  St.  Luke  viii.  25  (last  half), 
and  say  what  answer  they  would  have  given. 

2.  The  Second  Stilling  o!  the  Storm.— About  a  month 
later  the  disciples  had  another  proof  of  the  wonderful  power 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  41 

of  the  Lord.  It  was  on  the  evening  of  the  feeding  of  the 
five  thousand;  the  Lord  told  His  disciples  to  get  into  the 
boat  and  cross  the  Lake  without  Him,  while  He  sent  the 
people  away.  Perhaps  He  intended  to  walk  home  round 
by  the  head  of  the  Lake,  for  there  were  no  villages  on  that 
side  and  consequently  no  boats  (show  on  map). 

After  He  had  dismissed  the  people  the  Lord  went  up  into 
a  mountain  to  pray,  as  He  so  often  did.  Meanwhile  the 
disciples  were  crossing  the  Lake,  but  they  were  having  a 
hard  time;  when  they  reached  the  middle  of  the  Lake  they 
could  get  no  farther,  for  a  strong  wind  met  them  from  the 
opposite  shore;  saiUng  was  out  of  the  question,  they  got 
out  the  oars,  but  even  then  could  make  no  headway  against 
the  wind.  The  night  had  fallen,  and  the  great  waves  were 
wildly  tossing  their  little  ship,  and  this  time  the  Lord  was 
not  with  them. 

But  the  Lord  Jesus  up  on  the  mountain  had  not  forgotten 
them.  Presently,  when  all  effort  was  useless,  and  the  storm 
was  so  fierce  that  it  seemed  they  could  never  get  to  land, 
the  disciples  looked  up  and  saw  a  Form  walking  on  the 
water,  and  seeming  about  to  pass  by  the  boat;  they  were 
terrified  and  thought  they  saw  a  ghost,  and  they  all  cried 
out  in  fear.  (Show  picture.)  Then  instantly  they  heard  a 
well-known  voice:  "  Be  of  good  heart:  it  is  I,  fear  ye  not." 
And  He  came  up  to  them  and  entered  the  ship,  and  im- 
mediately the  wind  ceased;  and  almost  at  once  they  were 
at  the  other  side.  Then  the  men  in  the  boat  came  and 
worshipped  Him,  saying:  "Indeed  Thou  art  the  Son  of 
God." 

Association. — Let  the  class  find  Psalm  106,  and  read 
verses  23-30,  or  hear  them  read.  Ask  to  Whom  this  Psalm 
is  addressed,  and  of  Whose  works  it  speaks,  and  therefore 
if  the  Lord  Jesus  worked  such  works  Who  must  He  be  ? 

Generalisation. — Let  the  teacher  discuss  the  three  lessons 
of  this  section  with  the  class,  drawing  the  following  ideas 
from  the  children,  and  summing  them  up  on  the  blackboard 
in  these  or  other  words : 


42  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

God  made —  Christ  made — 

Fruit  to  ripen,  Water  into  ruby  wine, 

Corn  to  grow,  On  five  loaves  five  thousand  dine, 

Waves  to  leap,  8cas  and  winds  to  do  His  will, 

And  winds  to  blow.  Everything  His  word  fulfil. 

Memory  Work.— Cat.  33. 

Expression  Work. — Draw  or  model  the  fishing-boat,  or 
print  a  verse  of  the  Psahn  or  the  Generahsation,  or  write 
one  of  the  stories. 

Note  to  the  Teacher. — Omit  all  reference  to  the  incident 
of  St.  Peter  walking  on  the  water  as  it  suggests  another 
idea.  This  incident  will  come  in  better  in  the  lesson  to 
follow  on  St.  Peter. 


Christ's  Power  over  Disease. 
15.— Lesson  Subject :  The  Healing  of  the  Man  Born  Blind. 

Reference. — St.  John  ix.  1-41. 

Apparatus. — Model  or  picture  of  the  Temple. 

Aim. — To  show  Christ  as  loving  and  all-powerful,  one 
with  the  Creator. 

Introduction. — Question  on  any  public  hohday. 

Presentation  :  1.  The  Blind  Man  in  the  Temple. — It  was 
a  holiday  in  Jerusalem,  one  of  the  great  holidays  of  the 
year.  People  were  passing  to  and  fro,  dressed  in  their 
best,  very  gay  and  happy.  The  great  courts  of  the  Temple 
were  thronged,  for  it  was  the  Sabbath  Day;  and  as  the 
people  passed  through  the  beautiful  entrance  gates  they 
passed  the  poor  beggars,  waiting  silently,  not  crying  aloud 
to-day,  as  was  their  wont:  "  O  tender-hearted,  by  me 
gain  merit,  to  thine  own  benefit,"  for  no  one  gave  alms  on 
the  Sabbath. 

Among  them  sat  a  poor  blind  man;  he  had  always  been 
blind,  all  his  life  long;  if  you  talked  about  the  sun  to  him 
he  could  not  understand  you,  if  you  spoke  of  colours,  of 
flowers  and  trees,  he  would  not  know  what  you  meant. 
(Let    class    discuss    what    blindness    would    entail.)     No 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  43 

doctor  could  cure  him,  he  knew  that  well  enough,  and  he 
was  much  too  poor  to  pay  a  doctor,  even  if  one  could  do 
him  any  good ;  he  was  so  poor  that  he  only  had  food  when 
kind  people  gave  him  money.  But  to-day  he  did  not 
expect  anything,  no  one  would  give  him  money  now,  but 
perhaps  they  would  notice  him  and  give  him  something 
on  the  morrow;  so  he  still  sat  there,  among  the  crowd  of 
happy  people  going  in  and  out  of  the  Temple. 

At  last  Someone  did  notice  him,  the  Lord  Jesus  and  His 
disciples  came  by.  The  Lord  looked  intently  at  the  poor 
blind  man,  and  the  disciples  looked  too. 

"  Did  this  man  or  his  parents  do  anything  wrong," 
they  asked,  "  that  he  should  be  born  bhnd  ?"  And  the 
Lord  told  them  No,  this  bhndness  was  not  a  punishment, 
God  had  permitted  it,  and  He  was  going  to  do  some- 
thing very  wonderful  for  that  poor  man.  What  could  He 
mean  ? 

The  disciples  watched  eagerly  to  see  what  He  would  do. 

2.  The  Blind  Man  healed. — Then  the  Lord  Jesus  spat 
on  the  ground  and  made  clay,  and  this  He  put  on  the 
blind  man's  eyes.  Doctors  often  used  this  remedy  for 
weak  eyes,  but  how  could  it  cure  a  man  horn  blinds  ? 

"  Go  and  wash  in  the  Pool  of  Siloe  !"  the  Lord  com- 
manded, and  the  man  went  at  once,  feeling  his  way  along 
the  streets  he  knew  so  well.  He  had  never  seen  the  Lord 
Jesus,  of  course,  probably  he  had  never  heard  His  voice 
before,  but  when  He  told  him  to  go  and  bathe  his  eyes  in 
that  pool  he  obeyed  instantly,  though  he  did  not  know^  in 
the  least  what  would  happen.  (Let  the  class  discuss  the 
wonder  and  interest  of  the  disciples  while  the  man  was 
absent.) 

Soon  the  man  returned — he  had  bathed  his  eyes,  and  he 
could  see !  (Continue  narrative  in  Bible  words,  verses 
8-12.) 

3.  The  Man  learns  Who  healed  him. — Now  there  were 
certain  people  in  Jerusalem  who  hated  our  Lord — the 
Pharisees.     They  had  made  all   sorts  of  laws  about  what 


44  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

should  and  should  not  be  done  on  the  Sabbath  Day,  and 
they  wanted  then:  laws  kept  as  if  they  were  God's  laws. 
One  was  that  no  one  must  do  anything  to  heal  a  person's 
eyes  on  the  Sabbath,  no  matter  how  much  they  hurt. 
So  the  Jews  brought  the  man  to  the  Pharisees,  and  they 
asked  him  how  he  had  received  his  sight.  "  He  put  clay 
upon  my  eyes,  and  I  washed,  and  I  see,"  answered  the 
man.  "He  cannot  be  a  good  man,"  said  the  Pharisees, 
"  because  He  does  not  keep  the  Sabbath  as  we  think  it 
ought  to  be  kept."  "  But  how  could  He  do  such  Avonderful 
things  if  He  were  not  good  ?"  Suggested  others,  and  they 
could  not  agree  about  it  at  all.  The  Pharisees  hated  Him, 
so  they  wanted  to  pretend  that  He  was  not  good,  or  that 
He  had  not  worked  the  miracle.  "  What  do  you  think  of 
Him  ?"  they  asked  the  healed  man.  "  He  is  a  prophet," 
he  answered,  for  he  did  not  know  Who  He  was.  Then 
the  Jews  tried  to  settle  the  matter  by  exclaiming:  "  We 
do  not  believe  that  this  man  was  blind  at  all !" 

Then  they  called  the  parents  of  the  man  who  had  been 
blind  (continue  in  Bible  words,  verses  19-21),  for  the 
poor  old  people  were  afraid  to  Say  what  they  thought  about 
our  Lord,  for  fear  of  what  the  Pharisees  might  do  to  them, 
such  as  forbidding  them  to  enter  the  synagogue,  and  not 
allowing  anyone  to  help  them  with  food  or  money,  etc. 
(continue  in  words  of  Bible,  verses  23-33).  Then  the 
Pharisees  were  very  angry  and  "  cast  him  out,"  that  is, 
they  forbade  anyone  to  help  him,  or  be  friends  with  him, 
and  forbade  him  to  attend  the  Temple  or  synagogue. 

But  the  Lord  Jesus  heard  what  had  happened  to  him, 
and  went  to  look  for  him,  and  asked  him:  "Dost  thou 
believe  in  the  Son  of  God  ?"  (continue  with  verses  3G-38). 
So  the  man  found  out  Who  it  was  Who  had  healed  him, 
none  other  than  God  Himself,  Who  alone  could  open  the 
eyes  of  one  born  blind. 

Association. — Let  the  class  find  and  read  Gen.  i.  3  and 
St.  John  ix.  5,  and  notice  the  analogy  between  the  creation 
of  light  and  the  heahng  of  the  blind  man. 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  45 

Memory  Work. — Cat.  34. 

Expression  Work. — Write  the  story,  or  draw  a  symbol 
of  the  Light  of  the  World,  and  print  the  words  under- 
neath. 

Note  to  the  Teacher. — The  children  may  need  some  help 
in  thinking  out  Symbols,  but  it  is  best  for  the  teacher  to 
lead  up  to  the  idea,  not  to  give  it,  as  the  symbol  will  have 
an  added  significance  if  it  is  the  product  of  the  child's 
own  mind.  Examples  would  be  :  an  illuminated  crucifix, 
a  lantern,  a  torch,  a  lamp,  a  candle,  a  lighthouse. 


16.— Lesson  Subject :  The  Healing  of  the  Infirm  Man. 

Apparatus. — Picture  of  any  local  medicinal  spring,  or  of 
Lourdes.     Picture  of  healing  of  Infirm  Man. 

Reference. — St.  John  v.  1-18. 

Aim. — To  show  Christ  as  Lord  of  Health,  one  with  the 
Creator. 

Introduction. — Discuss  any  local  medicinal  spring,  or 
Lourdes,  showing  picture. 

Presentation  :  1.  The  Infirm  Man  waiting.— Out  by  the 
sheep  gate  at  Jerusalem  there  lay  a  pool  to  which  the 
thoughts  of  all  the  sick  turned  longingly.  It  was  carefully 
protected  from  the  weather,  roofed  over  and  surrounded 
by  five  porches  where  the  sick  might  rest;  for  at  certain 
times  a  mysterious  bubbling  arose  in  the  pool,  and  whoever 
first  bathed  in  it  then  was  cured  of  his  infirmity. 

One  Sabbath  Day  a  silent,  eager  crowd  lay  waiting  for 
the  moving  of  the  waters,  and  among  them  one  who  had 
so  lain  year  after  year;  but,  almost  helpless  as  he  was, 
he  could  never  be  quick  enough  to  get  in  first.  For  thirty- 
eight  years  he  had  been  ill,  and  it  made  it  all  the  worse 
that  his  illness  was  brought  on  by  his  own  fault — from  Uving 
a  wicked  life  when  he  was  young.  (Instance  effects  of 
drunkenness  if  thought  desirable.) 

2.  The  Infirm  Man  healed. — Narrate  vividly  verses  6-9, 
using  Bible  words  for  direct  speech.     Explain  how  the 


46  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

feeling  of  strength  and  power  thrilled  through  the  man, 
making  him  ready  to  obey  the  command  to  arise  and  take 
up  his  bed. 

Picture  his  feelings  of  awe  and  wonder  and  gratitude. 

3.  The  Infirm  Man  glorifies  God. — Describe  vividly, 
verses  10-18,  again  using  Bible  words  for  direct  speech. 
Picture  the  man,  with  his  mattress  rolled  under  his  arm, 
going  to  his  home.  Let  elder  children  say  how  this  sight 
would  affect  the  Jews,  with  their  narrow  notions  of  Sabbath 
observance.  Ask  the  class  where  he  would  go  to  give 
thanks  for  his  recovery.  Picture  him  in  the  Temple,  his 
gratitude  at  being  there  again,  his  sorrow  for  his  past  sin 
and  determination  to  lead  a  new  life.  Imagine  his  longing 
to  know  who  it  was  who  had  healed  him.  Describe  our 
Lord  finding  him  and  the  interview  in  the  Temple;  then 
how  the  man  went  to  the  Jews  and  told  them  Who  had 
healed  him,  probably  wishing  to  do  Him  honour.  Let 
elder  children  discuss  what  the  Jews  would  feel  towards 
Jesus  for  healing  on  the  Sabbath  Day,  and  telling  the  man 
to  carry  his  bed.  Tell  how  they  came  to  Him  in  their 
indignation  and  how  He  answered  them. 

Association. — Let  the  class  find  and  compare  St.  John 
i.  1-3  and  Gen.  i.  1. 

Memory  Work. — Cat.  35. 

Expression  Work. — Write  the  story  from  the  point  of 
view  of  the  healed  man  or  of  an  antagonistic  Jew;  or  make 
a  model  of  an  Eastern  bed. 

17. — Lesson  Subject :  The  Healing  o!  the  Ten  Lepers. 

References. — St.  Luke  xvii.  12-19;  4  Kings  v.  1-19. 

Apparatus. — A  picture  of  the  heahng  of  the  ten  lepers, 
or  of  Naaman. 

Aim. — To  show  Christ  as  loving  and  all-powerful,  one 
with  the  Creator. 

Note  to  the  Teacher. — In  this  lesson  no  emphasis  is  laid 
on  the  ingratitude  of  the  nine,  because  that  does  not  touch 
our  aim. 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  47 

Introduction. — A  few  questions  on  the  preceding  lesson, 
bringing  out  the  hopelessness  of  the  man's  case. 

Presentation  :  1.  The  Lepers'  Sad  Lot. — This  time  we  see 
ten  men,  all  very  sad  because  they  are  hopelessly  ill. 
They  are  walking  along  a  lonely  road  at  some  distance 
from  any  houses;  their  hair  is  all  dishevelled,  their  clothes 
torn,  their  heads  and  half  their  faces  covered  with  a  cloth. 
If  anyone  comes  near  them  they  cry  sadly:  "Unclean, 
unclean !"  and  that  person  hastens  away  in  another 
direction.  For  these  men  are  lej)ers  and  there  is  no  cure 
for  that  disease.  It  is  so  dreadful  that  all  fear  to  catch  it, 
so  no  one  ever  goes  near  a  leper  or  sj)eaks  to  him;  therefore 
these  ten  poor  men  live  alone,  with  only  each  other  for 
company,  in  little  huts  or  caves  far  from  any  village,  for 
they  may  not  go  near  the  houses  of  other  men.  Nine  of 
them  are  Jews,  but  one  of  them  is  a  Samaritan;  formerly, 
when  they  were  well,  these  Jews  would  never  have  been 
friends  with  him,  but  now  they  have  forgotten  that  old 
quarrel  in  the  face  of  their  common  misfortune. 

2.  The  Lepers'  Favourite  Story. — These  men  have  no 
books  to  read,  and  they  may  not  go  to  the  synagogue  or 
the  Temple,  and  hear  the  Bible  read,  but  no  doubt  they 
often  think  over  the  stories  which  they  used  to  hear 
(Ask  the  class  what  story  they  would  sj)ecially  like  to  remem- 
ber now,  and  if  they  cannot  tell  proceed  as  follows,  but  let 
the  children  tell  the  story  if  they  can. ) 

There  was  one  story  which  these  poor  lepers  must  have 
loved  more  than  all  others.  It  was  the  story  of  Naaman, 
who  was  a  great  soldier  in  the  service  of  the  King  of  Syria, 
but  a  leper.  Of  course  there  was  no  cure  for  leprosy,  then 
as  now.  The  King  would  have  done  anything  to  make 
Naaman  well,  but  there  was  nothing  that  he  could  do. 
But  one  day  a  little  Hebrew  slave  girl  who  waited  on 
Naaman' s  wife  said  to  her  mistress:  "There  is  a  great 
prophet  at  my  home  in  Samaria  who  could  make  my 
master  well,  through  the  power  which  God  has  given  him." 
And  they  told  Naaman  what  the  Hebrew  girl  had  said. 


4^  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

When  the  King  of  Syria  heard  this  be  determined  to  send 
a  letter  to  the  King  of  Israel  asking  him  to  arrange  for 
Naaman's  cure.  So  he  wrote,  saying:  "I  have  sent 
Naaman  my  servant  to  thee  that  thou  mayst  have  him 
cured  of  his  leprosy,"  and  sent  the  letter  with  a  handsome 
present  to  the  King  of  Israel  at  Samaria.  But  when  the 
King  of  Israel  received  the  letter  he  was  very  troubled 
and  said :  "  Am  I  God,  to  kill  and  make  alive,  that  this  man 
doth  send  to  me  to  heal  a  man  of  his  leprosy  ?  He  knows 
that  I  cannot  do  it,  and  will  make  this  an  excuse  to  fight 
against  me."  For  he  knew  that  none  but  God  can  cure 
this  dreadful  disease. 

But  in  Samaria  there  lived  a  man  of  God,  the  great 
prophet  Eliseus,  and  he  heard  of  the  trouble  of  the  King 
and  sent  a  message  to  him,  saying:  "Why  are  you  so 
troubled  ?  Send  Naaman  to  me,  that  he  may  know  that 
there  is  a  servant  of  God  in  Samaria."  So  Naaman  came 
with  his  horses  and  with  his  chariots  and  stood  at  the  door 
of  the  house  of  Eliseus ;  and  Eliseus  sent  a  message  to  him, 
saying:  "  Go  and  wash  seven  times  in  the  River  Jordan, 
and  thy  leprosy  shall  be  healed."  But  instead  of  obeying, 
Naaman  drove  away  in  a  rage.  "  Behold,  I  thought  he 
would  surely  come  out  to  me  and  stand  and  call  on  the 
name  of  his  God,"  he  said,  "  and  wave  his  hand  over  the 
place,  and  make  me  well."  Naaman  wanted  Eliseus  to 
come  out  and  speak  to  him  and  do  something,  but  this  was 
just  what  Eliseus  had  no  intention  of  doing,  for  he  did  not 
want  Naaman  to  think  that  he  could  heal  him,  he  wished 
him  to  understand  that  God  would  heal  him  if  he  obeyed 
God's  servant.  But  as  Naaman  drove  along,  feeHng  very 
angry  and  miserable,  his  servants  came  to  him  and  said: 
"  Dear  master,  if  the  prophet  had  told  thee  to  do  some  hard 
thing,  wouldst  thou  not  have  done  it  ?  Then  why  not 
do  this  little  simple  thing  and  wash  in  the  Jordan  as  he 
bids  thee  ?"  And  then  Naaman  felt  ashamed  of  himself, 
and  drove  to  the  banks  of  the  Jordan,  dismounted  from 
his    chariot,    and    bathed    seven   times  in   the  river    as 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  49 

Eliseus  had  commanded;  and  after  the  seventh  time  his 
leprosy  had  gone  entirely.  Then  he  hastened  back  to 
the  prophet,  and  thanked  him  and  said  :  "  Behold 
now,  I  know  that  there  is  no  God  in  all  the  earth  but  in 
Israel." 

Perhaps  the  Samaritan  loved  that  story  even  more  than 
the  other  lepers,  for  Naaman  had  found  EUseus  in  his 
own  country  of  Samaria. 

3.  The  Lepers'  Helper. — The  lepers  would  think  the  more 
of  that  story  just  now  because  they  had  heard  tales  of  a 
great  Prophet  Who  was  even  then  living  among  them,  and 
heaUng  the  sick.  They  had  never  seen  Him,  but  they  had 
heard  that  He  might  pass  by  this  way  as  He  was  journeying 
to  Jerusalem.  So  they  waited  and  watched  day  by  day  in 
the  hope  that  He  would  pass  by. 

At  last  they  heard  that  He  was  coming.  How  eagerly 
they  waited  for  Him,  just  outside  a  village  which  He  must 
pass  through !  Then,  when  at  length  He  came  in  sight, 
standing  afar  off  as  they  had  been  taught  to  do,  they  hfted 
up  their  voices  in  an  eager  cry  for  help:  "Jesus,  Master, 
have  mercy  on  us  !"  And  as  the  Lord  looked  on  them 
they  knew  that  He  could  and  would  help  them.  "  Go  and 
show  yourselves  unto  the  priests,"  He  said — just  that, 
and  nothing  more,  but  the  lepers  understood.  They  knew 
that  if  ever  by  a  miracle  a  leper  was  healed  he  must  go  at 
once  to  a  priest  to  obtain  permission  to  be  with  other 
people  and  to  go  to  church  again,  and  then  the  healed  leper 
would  offer  a  sacrifice  to  God.  These  lepers  did  not  hesi- 
tate, they  hurried  off  at  once,  perhaj)s  they  remembered 
that  Naaman  would  not  have  been  healed  unless  he  had 
obeyed.  And  it  came  to  pass  that  as  they  went  they  were 
healed.  And  when  the  Samaritan  saw  that  he  had  been 
made  well  he  turned  back  to  thank  the  One  Who  had 
healed  him.  He  fell  down  at  Jesus'  feet  and  worshipped 
Him,  and  thanked  Him  for  all  His  wonderful  kindness. 
And  the  Lord  Jesus  said  to  him:  "  Arise,  go  thy  way,  thy 

faith  hath  made  thee  whole." 

4 


50  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

Association. — What  were  the  feehngs  of  the  King  of 
Israel  when  he  was  asked  to  cure  Naaman  ? 

Why  was  he  so  troubled  ? 

Why  did  Eliseus  send  for  Naaman  ? 

By  Whose  power  was  Naaman  cured  ? 

By  Whose  power  were  the  ten  lepers  cured  ? 

Then  Who  must  the  Lord  Jesus  be  ? 

Generalisation. — Help  the  class  to  arrive  at  the  following 
generalisation.  "  Jesus  Christ  showed  that  He  was  God 
by  using  the  power  of  God." 

Memory  Work.— Cat.  39. 

Expression  Work. — Write  one  of  the  stories. 

Draw  a  picture- map  of  Naaman' s  journey. 

Print  the  generalisation. 

Christ's  Power  over  Death. 

18. — Lesson  Subject :  The  Raising  of  the  Widow's 
Son  at  Nairn. 

References. — St.  Luke  vii.  11-17;  3  Kings  xvii.  17-24. 

Apparatus. — Pictures  of  Christ  raising  the  widow's  son, 
and  of  Elias  restoring  her  child  to  the  widow  of  Sarephta. 

Aim. — To  show  Christ  as  the  Lord  of  life  and  death,  the 
loving  Creator  in  Whose  hands  all  creatures  are  safe. 

Introduction. — Rouse  the  sympathy  of  the  class  with  any 
whom  they  know  who  have  lost  husbands  or  sons  in  the 
Great  War. 

Presentation  :  1.  The  Widow  mourns  her  Son. — The  sun 
shone  down  in  dazzling  brightness  on  the  beautiful  town  of 
Naim,  and  its  lovely  gardens  were  gay  with  flowers;  its 
very  name  meant  "  the  pleasant,"  but  for  all  its  beauty 
it  had  lost  its  pleasantness  for  one  sad  widow  there.  She 
had  just  lost  her  only  son. 

She  sat  on  the  floor  of  her  house,  sobbing  bitterly,  her 
long  shawl-Uke  garment  torn  across  to  show  her  grief. 
Everything  that  could  be  done  had  been  done,  yet  he  had 
died,  her  son,  who  was  the  stay  and  comfort  of  her  life. 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  51 

Sadder  still,  she  was  not  sure  of  meeting  him  again,  nor  of 
where  he  was  now,  for  she  was  a  Jew,  not  a  Christian,  and 
she  knew  nothing  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  though  He  was  living 
on  earth  at  that  very  moment,  in  that  very  country.  In- 
deed, He  was  even  then  walking  towards  Naim,  though  He 
had  a  long  way  to  come,  about  twenty-five  miles. 

2.  The  Widow  longs  for  Help. — No  doubt  as  she  sat 
there  she  would  think  of  another  widow  of  long  ago  who 
had  the  great  prophet  Elias  to  help  her  in  her  trouble.  How 
she  must  have  wished  that  Elias  were  near  to  help  her  to- 
day !  She  little  knew  Who  was  drawing  near.  (Let  children 
tell  the  story  of  the  raising  of  the  widow's  son  at  Sarephta, 
if  they  can;  if  not,  continue  thus:) 

She  would  think  of  how  that  widow's  son  died,  and  of 
how  the  poor  mother  went  to  EHas  and  asked  him  to  help 
her,  and  EHas  said,  "  Give  me  thy  son,"  and  took  the  child 
from  her  arms  and  carried  him  up  to  his  own  room  and  laid 
him  on  his  bed;  then  he  prayed  and  prayed  most  earnestly 
that  God  would  restore  the  child  to  life,  and  then  he 
stretched  himself  upon  the  child  and  prayed  yet  more 
earnestly,  saying:  "  0  Lord  my  God,  let  the  soul  of  this 
child,  I  beseech  thee,  return  into  his  body."  And  the 
Lord  heard  Elias'  prayer,  and  the  soul  of  the  child  entered 
into  him  again,  and  he  was  alive  once  more.  Then  Elias 
brought  the  child  down  to  his  happy  mother,  alive  and 
well.  (Show  jDicture.)  How  this  poor  mother  must  have 
wished  that  Elias  were  here  now,  to  restore  her  son  to  life 
by  his  prayers  ! 

3.  The  Widow  meets  the  Lord  of  Life. — But  now  there 
was  no  time  to  think  or  weep  silently  any  more;  the 
afternoon  was  fading  into  evening,  and  the  burial  must 
take  place.  Every  preparation  had  been  made  to  do  honour 
to  the  dead,  musicians  and  mourning-women  had  been 
hired,  and  friends  had  arranged  to  carry  the  bier  in  turns, 
two  at  each  end. 

As  the  funeral  procession  left  the  house  all  the  furniture 
was  turned  upside  down  and  laid  on  the  floor  to  show  how  all 


52  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

the  world  was  spoilt  for  the  poor  mother.  First,  went  the 
"  funeral  orator  "  telhng  of  all  the  good  deeds  which  the 
dead  young  man  had  done ;  then  came  the  mourning- women, 
chanting  sadly:  "  Alas,  the  lion!  alas,  the  hero!"  and  with 
them  two  or  three  men  playing  plaintive  music  on  long  flutes. 
By  the  open  bier  walked  the  widowed  mother,  and  behind 
came  relations  and  friends  and  sympathising  neighbours, 
for  it  was  thought  to  be  a  grave  religious  duty  to  follow 
the  dead.  So  the  sad  procession  passed  through  the 
streets  of  Naim  and  out  beyond  the  town  gate  to  the  burial- 
ground. 

And  then  they  met  another  procession.  Coming  to  meet 
them  was  a  crowd  of  people,  and  One  Who  walked  in  front, 
tall  and  beautiful,  with  a  look  of  power  and  love  on  His 
face.  He  saw  the  weeping  mother  and  went  straight  up  to 
her  saying:  "Weep  not!"  She  must  have  looked  up  at 
Him  in  amazement,  for  it  was  the  custom  to  say,  on  meeting 
a  funeral :  "  Weep  with  them,  all  ye  who  are  bitter  of  heart," 
and  to  turn  and  follow  the  mourners,  but  on  no  account 
to  touch  the  bier,  which  would  make  one  "  unclean."  But 
the  Lord  bade  her  "  Weep  not  1"  and  then  He  came  and 
touched  the  bier,  and  they  who  carried  it  stood  still.  And 
He  said:  "Young  man,  I  say  unto  thee,  arise."  And 
he  that  was  dead  sat  up  and  began  to  speak,  and  the  Lord 
Jesus  gave  him  to  his  mother.     (Show  picture.) 

Then  all  the  people  around  were  filled  with  wonder  and 
awe,  and  some  said:  "  A  great  prophet  is  risen  up  among 
us,"  thinking  of  EHas  and  the  miracles  he  worked,  and  others 
said:  "  God  has  visited  His  people."  And  throughout  all 
that  country  they  spread  abroad  the  wonderful  thing  which 
the  Lord  had  done. 

Association. — Let  children  discuss  which  of  the  two 
comments  on  our  Lord's  action  was  nearer  the  truth.  Was 
He  merely  a  prophet  like  Elias  ?  Then  why  did  He  not 
pray  long  and  earnestly  before  raising  the  dead,  as  Ehas 
did  ?  How  was  it  that  He  could  perform  this  miracle  by  a 
mere  word  ?     Lead  the  children  to  see  that  our  Lord  is 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  53 

God  Himself,  therefore  both  Hfe  and  death  are  obedient 
unto  Him. 

Memory  Work. — Cat.  41. 

Expression  Work. — Write  or  draw  one  of  the  stories,  or 
compare  Christ's  action  with  that  of  EUas. 

19.— Lesson  Subject :  The  Raising  o!  Jairus'  Daughter. 

References.— St.  Matt.  ix.  18-26;  St.  Mark  v.  21-43; 
St.  Luke  viii.  40-56. 

Apparatus. — Model  or  sketch  of  a  large  Eastern  house  and 
of  a  cottage;  picture  of  the  raising  of  Jairus'  daughter. 

Aim. — To  show  Christ  as  Lord  of  Life  and  Death. 

Note  to  the  Teacher. — If  the  story  is  new  to  the  children 
tell  it  in  the  usual  way,  but  if,  as  is  probable,  it  is  very 
f amihar,  present  it  in  the  manner  given  below.  It  is  some- 
times very  useful  to  let  the  class  consider  our  Lord's 
miracles  from  an  entirely  fresh  standpoint. 

Introduction. — Question  on  the  last  lesson. 

Presentation  :  1.  The  Rich  Mother  envied.— Show  the 
model  of  the  house,  and  discuss  it. 

In  this  house  at  Capharnaum,  some  twenty-five  miles 
from  Naim,  lived  a  mother  who  had  everything  which  the 
widow  of  Naim  had  not — a  beautiful  house  in  this  beautiful 
seaside  town,  a  good  and  kind  husband  who  was  a  very  im- 
portant man  in  the  town,  a  dear  little  daughter  who  was  a 
great  joy  to  her.  We  can  imagine  what  the  poor  women 
who  lived  in  these  little  houses  (shov/  cottage)  would 
think  of  this  lady.  They  respected  her  greatly,  perhaps 
they  envied  her,  she  seemed  to  have  so  much  and  they  so 
little.  We  will  think  of  one  woman  in  particular,  she  was 
poor  and  was  glad  to  earn  money  by  singing  at  funerals. 
(Question  the  class  on  this  custom.) 

2.  The  Rich  Mother  pitied. — But  one  day  sad  news  ran 
through  the  town:  "  The  little  girl  at  the  big  house  is  very 
iU.  She  is  growing  worse  and  worse  and  the  doctors  can  do 
nothing;  whatever  will  her  father  and  mother  do  ?"  They 
did  not  envy  the  rich  mother  now,  though  her  husband  was 


54  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

Ruler  of  the  Synagogue.  There  was  a  tremendous  storm 
on  the  lake  one  night,  the  woman  in  her  cottage  thought  of 
the  mother  in  the  big  house,  watching  by  the  side  of  the 
sick  child.  In  the  morning  it  cleared,  and  they  said  that 
the  great  Prophet  with  His  disciples  had  just  come  back  to 
Capharnaum  from  the  other  side  of  the  Lake.  He  must  have 
been  on  it  in  the  storm,  how  wonderful  that  the  boat  was  not 
swamped  !  There  was  fresh  news  now:  "  The  little  girl  is 
worse ;  her  father  has  gone  to  ask  the  Prophet  if  He  will  come 
and  heal  her,  the  doctors  say  they  can  do  nothing.  There 
is  a  tale  going  about  that  the  Prophet  made  a  man  well  at 
Naim  a  short  time  ago ;  some  say  that  the  man  was  dead  and 
that  He  made  him  alive  again,  but  of  course  that  could  not 
be."  So  they  talked,  and  the  poor  woman  felt  very  sorry  for 
the  rich  woman;  things  must  be  bad  indeed  when  the  father 
had  gone  to  the  Prophet  instead  of  trusting  to  the  doctor  f 

Not  long  after  this  there  came  a  servant  running  from  the 
big  house  to  the  cottage:  "  You  are  wanted,  come  at  once. 
My  little  mistress  is  dead,  come  and  help  to  sing  the  funeral 
chants,  you  shall  be  well  paid.  There  are  many  other 
women  coming  too,  and  many  men  to  play  sad  music  on  the 
flute.  My  master  would  wish  it,  and  my  mistress  orders  it. 
Oh,  my  poor  master  !  he  was  not  here  when  the  little  mistress 
died;  he  had  gone  himself  to  ask  the  Prophet  of  Nazareth 
to  come  and  heal  her.  But  it  is  all  of  no  use  now,  I  am  going 
on  to  find  him  and  to  tell  him  that  she  is  dead,  so  that  the 
great  Prophet  need  not  be  troubled  to  come."  And  the 
servant  hastened  away,  and  the  woman  went  up  to  the  big 
house.  It  was  all  very  sad,  she  felt,  she  was  such  a  bright, 
happy  little  girl,  and  she  was  just  growing  up  to  be  a  com- 
fort to  her  mother. 

The  house  was  full  of  mourners.  There  were  friends  and 
relations,  and  many  hired  mourners,  who  now  began  to 
chant  sad  songs  and  play  sad  music,  while  the  poor  mother 
sat  alone  weeping,  and  the  little  girl  lay  still  and  straight 
upon  her  flat  mattress  bed.  There  was  no  doubt,  alas  !  that 
she  was  dead. 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  55 

3.  The  Mother  and  Father  meet  the  Lord  of  Life. — As  she 

sang  her  wailing  songs  the  mourning-woman  saw  a  Uttle 
group  of  people  enter  the  house;  there  was  the  master 
Jairus,  and  the  great  Prophet  with  His  followers.  So  He 
had  come,  after  all  !  The  Prophet  looked  very  stern. 
"  Why  make  ye  this  ado  and  weep  ?  The  damsel  is  not 
dead,  but  sleepeth,"  He  said.  Not  dead  !  Why  of  course 
she  was  dead  !  Were  they  not  all  here  to  mourn  for  her  ? 
The  woman  burst  out  into  incredulous  laughter  and  all 
the  other  mourners  joined  in.  But  the  Prophet  stopped 
them.  "  Go  out  of  the  house,  all  of  you  !"  He  commanded, 
"  you  are  not  wanted  here."  And  there  was  that  in  His 
look  and  manner  which  made  them  obey  Him  instantly, 
angry  and  indignant  as  they  were.  "  Come  with  Me," 
they  heard,  and  saw  Him  move  towards  the  dead  girl's 
room  with  the  father  and  mother  and  three  of  His  disciples. 
The  mourners  probably  went  out  into  the  courtyard  (show 
on  model),  where  a  little  silent  group  of  disciples  stood, 
waiting  for  their  Master. 

We  can  almost  hear  those  hired  mourners  muttering  to 
themselves:  "  Not  dead  indeed  !  They  will  find  out  that 
she  is  dead  when  they  go  into  the  room."  But  presently 
a  servant  hurries  across  the  courtyard,  disappears  into  the 
kitchen,  and  comes  back  bearing  a  tray  of  food  in  his  hands. 
He  has  a  happy  eager  look  on  his  face,  and  is  hurrying 
very  much.  "  What  are  you  doing  ?"  someone  asks  him. 
"  This  is  for  the  little  mistress,  she  is  not  dead  but  alive 
and  well,  and  I  was  sent  in  haste  for  food." 

What  could  it  mean  ?  Weil,  there  was  no  good  in  stay- 
ing here  any  longer,  they  had  better  go  home.  The  doctor 
must  have  been  mistaken,  perhaps  he  had  sent  another 
servant  after  the  Prophet  and  said  she  was  asleep,  not 
dead  after  all.  But  if  so,  why  were  they  not  told  ?  (Let 
the  class  here  tell  what  really  happened  in  the  sick  room. 
If  the  question  arises,  explain  that  our  Lord's  words  about 
sleep  would  be  understood  by  devout  Jews  to  mean  death. 
It  was  a  wa}^  of  expressing  the  hopeful  view  of  death,  a  sleep, 


66  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

the  awakening  from  which  would  be  in  another  world. 
Some  of  the  Jews  believed  in  immortaUty.) 

Association. — Compare  with  previous  lesson. 

Generalisation. — Lead  the  class  to  see  that  the  hired 
mourners  doubted  our  Lord  because  they  did  not  know 
Who  He  was.  Draw  from  the  children  that  He  can  raise 
the  dead  because  He  is  God,  and  has  power  over  life  and 
death. 

Application. — If  the  widow  of  Nairn  or  Jairus  knew  of 
another  dying  person,  to  Whom  would  they  go  ? 

Would  He  be  glad  to  be  asked  for  help  ? 

Hov/  do  we  knov/  this  ? 

Some  are  dying  now,  every  minute  of  the  day,  how  can 
we  help  them  ? 

Lead  the  children  to  make  a  resolution  to  pray  for  the 
dying  before  the  Blessed  Sacrament,  that  day  at  least, 
regularly,  at  the  teacher's  discretion. 

Memory  Work.— Cat.  42. 

Expression  Work. — Write  the  story. 

Print  and  illuminate  "  TaUtha  cumi." 

Christ's  Power  over  Human  Hearts. 
20. — Lesson  Subject :  St.  Peter. 

References.— St.  Luke  v.  Ml;  St.  Matt.  xiv.  22-33; 
xvi.  13-20,  xvii.  1-8. 

Apparatus.  —  Pictures  of  the  miraculous  draught  of 
fishes  and  of  the  Transfiguration. 

Aim. — To  show  how  Christ  changed  Simon  the  son  of 
Jona  into  St.  Peter  the  Rock. 

Introduction. — Remind  children  of  how  we  sometimes 
give  special  names  to  our  friends.     Let  them  give  instances. 

Presentation  :  1.  St.  Peter  taught  to  follow  Christ. — Two 
fishing  boats  lay  by  the  beach  at  Capharnaum,  their  wet 
sides  glistening  in  the  early  morning  sun.  At  a  little 
distance  were  the  fishermen,  washing  their  nets.  They  were 
all  tired  and  disappointed  after  a  night's  fruitless  work. 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  57 

The  two  sons  of  Jona,  Simon  and  Andrew,  owned  one  boat, 
and  the  sons  of  Zebedee,  James  and  John,  owned  the  other ; 
and  the  four  men  were  friends  and  worked  in  partnership. 
Simon  and  Andrew  were  devoted  to  each  other.  Simon 
would  never  forget  that  it  was  Andrew  who  first  brought 
him  to  the  great  Prophet,  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  Who  had 
since  become  his  Friend  and  changed  the  whole  face  of  the 
world  for  him.  Andrew  had  always  been  one  to  love  and 
reverence  the  great,  he  had  been  a  disciple  of  St.  John  the 
Baptist,  and  he  had  seen  the  Baptist  point  to  Jesus  with 
the  words :  "  Behold  the  Lamb  of  God,"  and  he  had  followed 
Him.  Simon  would  never  forget  that  moment  when 
Andrew  had  burst  in  upon  him,  his  face  all  shining  v/ith 
eagerness,  exclaiming:  "We  have  found  the  Christ!" 
Then  he  had  brought  him  to  Jesus,  and  He  had  looked  at 
Simon  as  if  He  read  him  through  and  through,  saying: 
"  Thou  art  Simon,  the  son  of  Jona,  but  thou  shalt  be  called 
Peter,  a  Rock."  When  should  he  be  called  Peter  ? 
Doubtless  when  he  had  won  the  name. 

The  fishermen  looked  up  from  their  work  and  saw  a  great 
crowd  of  people  coming  down  to  the  shore,  closely  following 
the  Lord  Jesus  Himself.  He  came  straight  up  to  Simon 
and  asked  him  to  lend  Him  his  boat.  He  was  very  glad  to 
do  so,  and  the  Lord  entered  it  and  asked  him  to  push  out 
a  little  way  into  the  Lake  so  that  He  might  teach  the  people 
on  shore,  who  would  hear  much  better  if  He  were  a  little 
way  off  them,  especially  as  a  voice  carries  more  clearly 
across  water.  So  Simon  pushed  the  boat  off,  and  anchored 
it,  and  the  Lord  sat  there  and  preached  to  the  people, 
who  listened  eagerly  to  the  lovely  stories  He  told. 
When  He  had  finished  He  turned  to  Simon  and  said: 
"  Push  out  into  deep  water  and  let  down  your  dragnets 
for  fish."  Simon  v/as  amazed.  Fishing  was  always 
done  at  night,  with  a  lantern  hanging  at  the  prow  of  the 
ship  to  attract  the  fish.  Now,  in  broad  daylight,  it  was 
most  unhkely  that  they  would  take  any ;  he  was  surprised, 
but  he  loved  and  trusted  the  Lord,  and  felt  that  he  must 


58  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

do  as  He  told  him.  So  he  answered:  "Master  we  have 
toiled  all  night  and  have  taken  nothing,  nevertheless  at 
Thij  word  I  will  let  down  the  net."  Then  he  rowed  out 
into  deep  water  and  flung  the  nets  over  the  side,  and  the 
wind  caught  the  sail  and  swept  the  boat  along,  the  net 
dragging  alongside,  and  suddenly  it  filled  with  great  fish  ! 
So  huge  was  the  haul  that  the  net  broke  with  the  weight, 
and  they  called  hastily  to  their  partners  in  the  other  boat 
to  »ome  and  help  them;  they  hastened  up  and  helped  to 
get  the  fish  on  board,  and  both  boats  were  filled  so  full  that 
they  almost  sank  beneath  the  weight  of  the  catch. 

Then  an  overpowering  feeling  of  awe  and  wonder  came 
over  Simon,  and  he  fell  down  before  the  Lord,  saying: 
"  Depart  from  me,  for  I  am  a  sinful  man,  0  Lord."  For 
he  knew  that  a  miracle  had  been  worked  for  him  and  he 
felt  that  he  was  not  worthy  to  be  near  One  so  great  and 
holy;  but  Jesus  said:  "  Fear  not:  from  henceforth  you  shall 
catch  men."  Simon  Peter  knew  that  that  mecint  that  the 
Lord  had  work  for  him  to  do,  and  he  brought  his  boat  to 
land  and  followed  the  Lord  Jesus,  leaving  his  trade  and  his 
boat  and  everything. 

2.  St.  Peter  taught  to  trust  Christ. — Some  while  after  this, 
when  St.  Peter  had  been  with  the  Lord  a  long  time,  helping 
Him  with  His  work,  they  had  all  had  a  very  busy,  tiring  day ; 
they  had  fed  five  thousand  people  out  on  the  hillside,  and  now 
the  disciples  were  returning  home  across  the  lake,  leaving 
the  Lord  on  shore.  (Let  the  class  describe  the  storm  and 
how  the  Lord  appeared  to  them.)  Now  when  St.  Peter 
heard  the  Lord  say :  "  It  is  I  !"  he  cried :  "  Lord  if  it  be  Thou, 
bid  me  come  to  Thee  upon  the  waters."  And  the  Lord 
said:  "  Come  !"  Then  St.  Peter  got  out  of  the  ship  and 
walked  on  the  water  to  go  to  Jesus;  but  when  he  saw  the 
great  waves,  and  felt  the  strong  wind  blowing  against  him, 
he  was  frightened,  and  the  instant  he  was  afraid  he  began 
to  sink;  then  he  cried:  "  Lord,  save  me  !"  and  immediately 
Jesus  stretched  out  His  hand  and  caught  him,  saying: 
"  O  thou  of  little  faith,  why  didst  thou  doubt  ?" 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  59 

3.  St.  Peter  taught  to  believe  in  Christ. — One  day  the 

Lord  Jesus  asked  His  disciples:  "  Whom  do  people  think 
that  I  am  ?"  And  they  answered :  "  Some  say  that  You  are 
John  the  Baptist,  and  some  Elias,  and  some,  one  of  the  old 
prophets  come  again."  Then  Jesus  said:  "  But  Whom  do 
you  say  that  I  am  ?"  And  St.  Peter  answered:  "  Thou  art 
the  Christ,  the  Son  of  the  living  God."  And  the  Lord  said 
to  him:  "  Blessed  art  thou,  Simon  son  of  Jona,  because  no 
man  has  revealed  this  to  thee,  but  My  Father  Who  is  in 
heaven.  And  I  say  to  thee  that  thou  art  Peter,  a  Rock, 
and  upon  this  rock  I  will  build  My  Church,  and  the  gates  of 
hell  shall  not  prevail  against  it." 

Soon  after  this  oiu-  Lord  gave  St.  Peter  and  St.  James 
and  St.  John — His  three  special  friends — a  further  proof 
of  Whom  He  was,  for  He  knev/  that  He  was  soon  going  to 
die,  and  that  would  make  it  hard  for  them  to  believe  that 
He  was  God. 

He  took  them  away  by  themselves  up  a  high  mountain, 
and  there  He  was  transfigured  before  them,  His  clothes 
became  very  white  and  shining,  exceeding  white  as  snow, 
and  two  glorious  spirits  appeared  and  talked  with  Him, 
and  the  disciples  knew  that  they  were  the  great  prophets 
Moses  and  Elias.  All  around  them  was  a  shining  glory,  the 
brightness  of  heaven,  the  Lord's  real  home.  Then  St. 
Peter  was  quite  carried  away,  and  exclaimed  impetuously : 
"  Lord,  it  is  good  for  us  to  be  here;  if  Thou  wilt,  let  us  make 
here  three  little  tents  of  branches,  one  for  Thee,  and  one  for 
Moses,  and  one  for  Elias,  and  live  here  altogether."  For 
he  felt  that  it  was  indeed  heaven,  and  he  wanted  to  stay 
there  always.  He  only  planned  to  make  three  tents, 
because  no  doubt  he  thought  that  the  Lord  would  let  them 
share  His. 

But  St.  Peter  had  not  realised  that  we  may  not  enjoy 
heaven  until  we  have  done  our  work  on  earth.  Even  as 
he  explained  his  plan,  a  dazzling  cloud  came  down  over  the 
Lord  and  His  companions,  and  a  Voice  spake  out  of  the 
cloud,  saying :  "  This  is  My  beloved  Son,  in  Whom  I  am  well 


60  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

pleased:  hear  ye  Him."  And  when  the  disciples  heard 
it  they  knew  that  it  was  the  Voice  of  God  the  Father,  and 
they  were  very  much  afraid,  and  fell  on  their  faces  in  awed 
worship.  But  presently  they  felt  a  touch,  and  a  voice  they 
loved  said:  "  Arise,  and  be  not  afraid  !"  And  looking  up 
they  saw  that  they  were  alone  once  more  with  the  Lord. 

Association. — Let  the  class  discuss  what  these  experi- 
ences would  teach  St.  Peter  about  the  Lord  Jesus. 

Memory  Work. — "  Thou  art  Peter,  and  upon  this  rock 
I  will  build  My  Church,  and  the  gates  of  hell  shall  not 
prevail  against  it.  And  to  thee  I  will  give  the  keys  of 
the  kingdom  of  heaven"  (Cat.  88). 

Expression  Work. — Describe  how  our  Lord  changed  Simon 
into  St.  Peter,  or  print  and  illuminate  St.  Peter's  confes- 
sion, or  draw  a  symbolic  picture  of  the  Church  on  the  Rock. 

21.— Lesson  Subject :  St.  John. 

References.— St.  Mark  i.  19,  20;  iii.  17;  St.  Luke  ix.  49-56; 
St.  John  xiii.  21-38;  xviii.  15,  16;  xix.  25-27;  1  St.  John  iv. 
16,  21. 

Apparatus. — Pictures  of  the  Last  Supper  and  of  our  Lady 
and  St.  John  by  the  Cross.  Model  of  triclinium.  (See 
footnote  to  Lesson  26.) 

Aim. — To  show  how  Christ  changed  the  Son  of  Thunder 
into  the  Apostle  of  Love. 

Introduction. — A  iew  questions  on  the  call  of  St.  Peter. 

Presentation  :  1.  St.  John  the  Fisherman. — Describe  how 
the  Lord  called  St.  Andrew  also,  with  St.  Peter,  and  then 
passing  on  down  the  beach  looked  at  SS.  James  and  John 
and  called  them,  too,  to  follow  Him.  "  And  leaving  their 
father  Zebedee  in  the  ship  with  his  hired  men,  they  followed 
Him.^'  Discuss  with  the  class  what  they  would  renounce 
by  so  doing — their  comfortable  home,  lucrative  trade, 
influential  friends,  all  to  follow  a  Master  Who  "  had  not 
where  to  lay  His  head." 

2.  St.  John  the  Son  of  Thunder. — Ask  what  name  Christ 
gave  to  Simon;  tell  the  class  that  He  now  called  SS.  James 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  61 

and  John  "  The  Sons  of  Thunder."  Say  that  we  shall 
soon  see  why.  One  day  St.  John  came  to  Jesus  and  said 
indignantly:  "Master,  we  saw  a  man  casting  out  devils 
in  Thy  name,  and  we  told  him  that  he  had  no  business  to 
do  it  because  he  is  not  one  of  Thy  disciples."  But  the  Lord 
reproved  St.  John  for  acting  so  hastily,  saying:  "Forbid 
him  not,  for  if  he  was  doing  My  work  he  is  a  friend  of  Mine, 
even  if  he  does  not  call  himself  a  disciple."  Soon  after  this 
our  Lord  and  His  disciples  were  journeying  to  Jerusalem, 
and  they  had  to  pass  through  the  country  of  Samaria,  where 
the  people  all  disliked  Jews — the  Samaritans  thought  that 
Samaria  should  be  the  chief  place  of  worship,  instead  of 
Jerusalem,  and  they  hated  the  Jews  for  worshipping  in 
Jerusalem.  The  Lord  sent  some  of  the  disciples  on  in  front 
to  find  lodgings  for  them  in  the  town  which  they  were 
approaching ;  but  because  the  townspeoj)le  knew  that  they 
were  Jews  and  that  they  were  going  to  Jerusalem  they  would 
not  take  them  in.  St.  John  was  very  angry  at  this  rudeness 
to  his  Master,  and  asked:  "  Lord,  may  we  not  call  down  fire 
from  heaven  and  consume  them  ?"  But  the  Lord  answered 
sternly:  "  You  do  not  know  what  you  are  saying.  I  am 
not  come  to  destroy  men's  lives,  but  to  save  them." 

Let  the  class  say  why  they  think  that  St.  John  was  called 
a  Son  of  Thunder. 

3.  St.  John  the  Companion. — Tell  children  that  St.  John 
was  one  of  the  three  who  went  everywhere  with  our  Lord, 
and  that  therefore  he  saw  all  the  wonderful  things  which 
He  did.  Let  them  recall  some  of  the  miracles  of  help  and 
heaUng,  and  say  what  he  would  learn  from  watching  them. 
Tell  the  class  that  we  shall  now  see  how  this  affected 
St.  John's  behaviour. 

It  was  at  the  Last  Supper;  Jesus  and  His  disciples  were 
sitting  round  the  table,  leaning  sideways  on  the  couches 
arranged  for  them.  (Show  picture,  or  model  of  trichnium.) 
St.  John  was  lying  with  his  head  on  the  Lord's  breast,  for 
he  was  His  dearest  friend.  Presently  the  Lord  Jesus, 
looking  very  sad,  said:   "One  of  you  shall  betray  Me." 


62  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

For  He  knew  who  would  do  it  and  was  giving  him  a  chance 
to  repent.  Then  St.  John  and  all  the  others  were  very 
sad  too,  and  each  wondered  if  it  could  be  he  himself  who 
should  do  this  dreadful  thing.  St.  Peter,  sitting  opposite, 
beckoned  to  St.  John  to  ask  who  it  was,  and  St.  John  asked 
softly:  "Lord,  who  is  it?"  Then  the  Lord  told  them. 
They  all  said  nothing,  but  silently  watched  Judas  go  out 
on  his  terrible  errand.  (Lead  the  class  to  see  that  this  is 
not  how  St.  John  would  have  acted  at  one  time,  he  would 
probably  have  wished  to  punish  Judas  then  and  there, 
but  now  he  had  learnt  his  Master's  mind.) 

4.  St.  John  the  Faithful  Friend. — After  supper  the  Lord 
Jesus  took  His  disciples  to  the  Garden  of  Gethsemane,  and 
St.  John  was  one  of  those  whom  He  took  with  Him  right 
into  the  garden,  so  that  he  saw  His  agony  and  heard  Him 
ask  that  the  cup  might  pass  from  Him,  and  knew  that 
something  very  awful  indeed  must  be  about  to  happen. 
Then,  when  the  men  came  and  took  the  Lord  prisoner,  all 
the  disciples  ran  away  in  fear,  except  St  Peter  who  followed 
at  a  little  distance,  and  St.  John  who  walked  boldly  along 
right  up  to  the  High  Priest's  house,  where  he  was  well 
known,  being  a  friend  of  the  High  Priest.  The  maid  let 
him  in  at  once,  and  then  he  explained  that  St.  Peter  was  a 
friend  of  his  and  so  she  let  him  in  too;  and  there  St.  John 
stayed,  openly  showing  his  love  and  friendship  for  the  Lord 
Jesus,  Whom  they  were  treating  as  a  criminal,  and  making 
an  enemy  of  the  powerful  High  Priest  by  so  doing. 

Later  on,  when  the  Lord  had  been  crucified,  St.  John 
was  still  near  Him;  there  he  stood  by  the  Cross,  with  our 
Blessed  Lady,  heedless  of  the  jeers  and  insults  of  the  crowd. 
And  the  Lord  turned  to  St.  John  and  showed  him  that  He 
knew  of  his  great  love,  by  giving  him  something  to  do  for 
Him.  To  His  Blessed  Mother  he  said:  "  Behold  thy  son," 
and  then  to  St.  John:  "  Behold  thy  mother."  And  from 
that  hour  St.  John  was  a  true  son  to  her. 

Let  the  class  find  and  read  1  St.  John  iv.  16,  21  as  a 
summary  of  what  he  learnt  from  his  friendship  with  Christ. 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  63 

Association. — Let  the  class  discuss  the  ways  in  which 
St.  John  showed  his  love,  and  sum  up  on  B.B.  under  the 
heading:  "The  Son  of  Thunder  becomes  the  Apostle  of 
Love." 

Memory  Work.— Cat.  169. 

Expression  Work. — Write  an  account  of  St.  John  under 
one  of  the  above  titles. 

Draw  the  triclinium. 

Print  and  illuminate  "  God  is  Charity." 

22.— Lesson  Subject:  St.  Matthew. 

References.— St.  Matt.  ix.  9-14;  St.  Mark  ii.  13-17; 
St.  Luke  V.  27-35. 

Apparatus. — Picture  of  the  call  of  St.  Matthew. 

Aim. — To  show  how  Christ  won  the  love  and  trust  of 
St.  Matthew. 

Note  to  the  Teacher. — The  office  of  tax-collector  was  not 
necessarily  a  dishonourable  one,  but  had  gained  that 
reputation  from  the  gross  exactions  and  dishonesty  of  many 
who  held  it.  The  Roman  Government  expected  a  certain 
return,  and  anything  over  and  above  this  which  the 
publican  could  extract  he  might  keep  for  himself.  Con- 
sequently, extortionate  charges  were  frequent,  and  the 
whole  class  of  tax-collectors  earned  the  hatred  of  the  Jews. 
Moreover,  the  Jews  extremely  resented  the  Roman  occupa- 
tion, and  regarded  all  who  served  them  as  unpatriotic. 

St.  Matthew  belonged  to  the  lowest  class  of  publicans, 
he  was  a  "little  Mokhes,"  one  who  personally  sat  at  the 
receipt  of  custom.  It  seems  probable  that  he  was  not 
dishonest,  for  the  Evangelists  invariably  record  anything 
against  themselves,  just  as  their  fellow  Evangelists  record 
all  their  good  deeds,  and  in  this  case  neither  fraud  nor 
restitution  is  mentioned.  From  St.  Matt.  ix.  14  it  is 
thought  that  St.  Matthew's  feast  was  held  on  a  Monday  or 
a  Thm-sday,  the  Pharisaic  fast  days. 

Introduction. — Question  briefly  on  some  of  the  events 
which  took  place  at  Capharnaum. 


64  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

Presentation  :  1.  St.  Matthew's  Work. — Up  and  down 
the  Lake  of  Gahlee  boats  were  passing  all  day  long.  They 
left  Capharnaum  in  the  afternoon  for  a  night's  fishing, 
they  returned  in  the  early  morning  laden  with  fish;  they 
passed  to  and  fro  across  the  Lake  carrying  passengers, 
and  those  who  came  to  buy  and  sell.  At  the  landing- 
stage  was  the  custom-house,  under  the  Roman  Govern- 
ment; for  Rome  governed  Palestine  then  much  as  England 
governs  India,  because  the  Jews  could  not  govern  them- 
selves. But  though  the  Romans  ruled  well,  and  made 
good  laws,  and  kept  order,  and  built  towns  and  roads,  the 
Jews  hated  them  and  never  willingly  paid  their  taxes  for 
the  upkeep  of  their  roads  and  waterways.  More  than  that, 
they  hated  the  tax-collectors,  especially  those  who  were 
Jews  themselves;  and  they  had  good  reason  to  hate  some 
of  them,  for  they  charged  much  more  than  was  due  and  kept 
the  money  for  themselves.  These  tax-collectors  or  pub- 
licans had  got  such  a  bad  name  that  the  Jews  called  them 
all  "  sinners,"  but  of  course  all  were  not  dishonest. 

At  the  custom-house  at  Capharnaum  there  was  a  Jew 
named  Matthew  in  charge.  All  day  long  he  sat  there, 
taking  toll ;  every  ship  which  passed  to  and  from  Capharnaum 
had  to  pay  something  at  the  custom-house  on  the  quay: 
so  much  for  bringing  things  into  the  town  to  sell,  so  much 
for  taking  things  out  which  they  had  bought,  so  much 
per  head  per  person  who  landed  there,  or  embarked  thence. 

2.  St.  Matthew's  Hope. — Ask  the  class  Who  often  came 
to  Capharnaum,  Whom  Matthew  would  hear  preach  in  the 
synagogue,  what  He  would  say  in  those  sermons  about 
those  called  outcasts  and  sinners.  Let  them  thinlc  how 
this  would  affect  one  who  was  used  to  being  hated,  and 
who  had  only  heard  the  self-righteous  Jewish  Rabbis,  who 
made  rehgion  seem  undesirable.  Tell  how  the  Lord  often 
came  down  to  the  lake-side  to  teach,  how  Matthew  would 
probably  hear  some  of  these  sermons  when  he  was  off  duty; 
ask  for  an  account  of  the  call  of  the  fom*  fishermen  as  it 
would  reach  his  ears,  what  he  would  think  of  the  miracu- 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  65 

lous  draught  of  fishes  and  the  heahng  of  the  sick.  Picture 
how  perhaps  ships  brought  sick  people  to  be  healed,  how 
they  passed  Matthew  as  he  sat  in  his  custom-house — the 
lame,  the  blind  led  by  the  hand,  the  feeble  carried — and 
how  they  returned  well  and  strong,  paying  their  toll  cheer- 
fully instead  of  with  the  usual  scowl.  Then  there  would  be 
the  crowds  from  the  town  and  the  neighbouring  villages 
who  would  come  to  be  healed;  and  the  healed  ones  would 
not  be  only  those  respected  among  men,  but  all  in  need, 
beggars  and  outcasts  and  publicans  and  sinners.  Question 
from  the  class  that  Matthew  would  begin  to  hope  that  he  too 
might  meet  with  kindness  from  the  Lord. 

3.  St.  Matthew's  Call. — One  day  Matthew  saw  the  great 
Teacher  among  a  crowd  of  people  down  by  the  shore., 
evidently  teaching  them  as  was  His  wont.  How  he  must 
have  longed  to  leave  his  work  and  Hsten  !  But  that  he 
could  not  do  if  he  wanted  to  keep  his  post.  The  crowd 
was  breaking  up  now,  the  Teacher  was  going  home.  He 
was  coming  towards  the  custom-house,  how  Matthew's 
heart  beat  at  the  thought  that  He  might  pass  near  him  1 
He  was  coming  this  way,  yes,  right  up  the  steps  and  under 
the  archway  and  past  Matthew's  seat,  and  as  He  passed 
He  looked  straight  at  the  tax-collector  and  said:  "  Follow 
Me  !"  Just  that  and  nothing  more,  but  St.  Matthew 
understood.  Were  they  not  the  same  words  which  He 
had  used  to  Peter  and  John  ?  He  at  once  arose  and  followed 
Him.  Of  course  he  knew  what  it  meant.  It  meant  giving 
up  his  well-paid  Government  appointment  and  all  his  com- 
forts, and  it  meant  perhaps  even  more  dislike  from  the 
powerful  Jews,  who  all  hated  this  new  Teacher  Who  was 
so  different  from  themselves ;  but  St.  Matthew  did  not  care, 
it  was  enough  for  him  that  he  might  serve  and  follow  this 
wonderful  Master,  and  do  His  will  whatever  it  might  be. 

4.  St.  Matthew's  Feast. — St.  Matthew  felt  that  he  must 
do  something  for  the  Lord  Who  had  deigned  to  be  his 
Friend,  so  he  invited  Him  to  a  great  feast  in  his  house  and 
asked  all  his  tax-collecting  friends  to  meet  Him;  he  knew 


66  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

that  He  would  be  pleased  to  know  them  too.  But  it  was  a 
day  on  which  some  of  the  strict  Jews  said  that  a  feast  ought 
not  to  be  held :  it  should  be  kept  as  a  fast  day,  they  said, 
but  it  was  a  rule  of  their  own  invention,  and  of  course  the 
Lord  Jesus  did  not  keep  these  days  as  fasts.  Which  should 
St.  Matthew  do — please  the  Pharisees,  or  make  a  feast  for 
his  Master  ?  He  made  the  feast,  a  splendid  one,  and 
the  Lord  came  to  it  and  was  so  kind  to  all  St.  Matthew's 
friends;  but  the  Jews  were  very  angry  and  asked  the  dis- 
ciples how  it  was  that  their  Master  was  friendly  with  tax- 
collectors  and  such  folk,  "  sinners  "  as  they  called  them. 
The  Lord  at  once  answered  for  them:  "  I  came  not  to  be  a 
Friend  to  those  who  do  not  want  Me,  but  to  those  who  do. 
They  that  are  whole  need  not  a  physician,  but  they  that 
are  sick;  I  am  come  to  help  all  who  need  help."  Then  the 
Pharisees  were  angrier  still  and  asked  why  He  did  not  keep 
their  fast  days,  but  He  answered:  "Can  you  make  the 
guests  at  a  wedding  fast  while  the  bridegroom  is  with  them  ? 
When  the  bridegroom  has  left  them,  then  they  shall  fast." 

Lead  the  class  to  notice  that  as  St.  Matthew  was  now  one 
of  Christ's  followers  He  made  it  His  business  to  defend  him. 
Let  them  note  also  how  He  claimed  the  right  to  decide 
what  fasts  should  or  should  not  be  kept,  let  them  say  why. 

Association,— Let  the  class  sum  up  how  St.  Matthew  was 
taught  to  love  Christ:  (a)  By  proving  how  good  Christ  is 
in  Himself;  (6)  by  proving  how  good  He  is  to  others.  Write 
summary  on  blackboard. 

Memory  Work.— Cat.  170. 

Expression  Work. — Write  or  draw  the  story. 

Print  St.  Matt.  ix.  12  or  Cat.  170. 

23.— Lesson  Subject ;  Martha  and  Mary. 

References.— St.  Luke  x.  1-9,  38-42;  St.  Matt.  x.  6-13; 
St.  Mark  xiv.  3-9;  St.  John  xi.  1-46. 

Apparatus. — Pictures  of  Christ  in  the  house  at  Bethany 
and  of  the  raising  of  Lazarus.  Model  of  the  wealthy 
Eastern  house,  with  central  courtyard. 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  67 

Aim. — To  show  how  Martha  and  Mary  learnt  to  love 
and  trust  the  Lord . 

Introduction. — Discuss  a  picture  of  Bethany  or  model  of 
the  Eastern  house. 

Presentation  :  L  Martha  and  Mary  entertain  the  Lord. — 
Tell  how  tAvo  rich  ladies  with  their  brother  lived  in  one 
of  the  biggest  houses  in  Bethany,  and  how  it  was  usual  for 
such  people  to  entertain  any  strangers  who  came  to  the 
village.  Describe  how  two  strangers  came  one  day, 
disciples  of  the  Prophet  of  Nazareth  about  Whom  everyone 
was  talking;  even  these  disciples  seemed  to  have  some 
of  His  power,  for  they  had  been  heahng  the  sick  and  casting 
out  evil  spmts  and  preaching  to  the  people.  The  ladies 
Martha  and  Mary  went  to  hear  them  preach.  "  The  King- 
dom of  God  is  come  nigh  unto  you,"  they  said.  Martha 
and  Mary  longed  to  know  more,  and  invited  the  men  to 
stay  with  them.  "  Peace  be  to  this  house,"  said  the 
strangers  as  they  entered.  They  were  very  easy  to  enter- 
tain, eating  what  was  given  them  and  making  no  trouble. 
When  asked  why  they  were  going  about  preaching  and  heal- 
ing they  replied  that  they  had  been  sent  by  their  Master, 
Who  was  coming  this  way  Himself  presenj^ly.  Martha 
and  Mary  felt  that  they  would  like  to  know  Him,  and 
probably  told  His  disciples  that  they  should  consider  it  a 
great  honour  if  He  would  stay  with  them  when  He  came  by 
that  way. 

Autumn  came,  and  the  great  Feast  of  Tabernacles  drew 
near,  when  the  Jews  kept  their  harvest-thanksgiving  in 
the  lovely  sunny  weather,  living  out  of  doors  all  the  week 
in  little  tents  made  of  the  branches  of  trees,  to  remind 
themselves  of  the  time  when  their  ancestors  were  wandering 
in  the  wilderness,  without  homes  and  harvest-fields. 
Martha  and  Mary  had  received  notice  that  the  Proj^het  of 
Nazareth  would  visit  them  on  His  way  up  to  Jerusalem, 
perhaps  would  spend  the  week  in  Bethany;  so  they  made 
the  most  careful  preparations.  In  the  big  courtyard 
(show  on  model),  they  had  erected  a  httle  booth  for  the 


68  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

Prophet,  and  a  large  one  where  they  could  all  dine,  and  sit 
during  the  day.  Martha  and  Mary  would  sleep  in  the 
house  at  night;  Lazarus,  their  brother,  had  gone  to  Jeru- 
salem for  the  Feast,  but  after  the  first  two  days  he  might 
return  and  bring  important  guests  with  him. 

The  great  Prophet,  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  came;  He  was 
like  no  one  they  had  ever  seen ;  there  was  something  in  the 
way  in  which  He  spoke  and  looked  which  made  them  feel 
that  He  was  far  above  them  and  yet  quite  close  to  them. 
Martha  was  very,  very  busy,  and  began  to  get  quite 
worried.  There  was  a  great  deal  to  do,  for  she  wanted 
everything  to  be  as  nice  as  possible  for  her  Guest;  also,  she 
could  not  bear  to  let  the  servants  wait  on  Him,  it  would 
seem  she  felt  that  she  must  do  everything  herself.  So 
Martha  hurried  about,  from  the  house  to  the  tent  and 
back  again,  arranging  meals  and  household  matters. 
Mary  had  done  all  she  could,  and  now  she  was  sitting  close 
to  the  Master,  listening  to  His  wonderful  words;  she  felt 
that  she  must  keep  with  Him  as  much  as  possible,  for  that 
in  His  presence  she  was  near  to  God.  But  Martha  was 
troubled,  that  was  not  her  idea  of  entertaining  a  Guest; 
she  thought  that  Mary  ought  to  keep  on  running  about 
(continue  in  words  of  St.  Luke  x.  40-42). 

2.  Martha  and  Mary  show  their  Trust  in  the  Lord.— Some 
time  after  this  a  great  trouble  came  to  Martha  and  Mary, 
their  brother  Lazarus  fell  ill  and  grew  rapidly  worse. 
Their  thoughts  at  once  turned  to  the  Lord  Jesus,  they 
knew  Him  well  by  now  and  felt  quite  sure  that  He  would 
help  them.  So  they  sent  a  message  to  Him:  "Lord,  he 
whom  Thou  lovest  is  sick."  The  messenger  departed  in 
haste,  and  Martha  and  Mary  felt  reheved,  it  would  be 
all  right  now.  But  before  the  messenger  had  time  to  get 
back  Lazarus  died.  Then  Martha  and  Mary  must  have 
said  sadly  to  each  other:  "  If  the  Lord  had  been  here  he 
would  not  have  died."  Of  course  the  burial  had  to  be  at 
once,  with  all  the  sad  ceremonies  of  mourning- women  and 
melancholy  music;  but  the  funeral  was  not  in  a  public 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  69 

cemetery,  because  they  were  rich  people  and  had  a  private 
grave — a  large  cave  with  stone  shelves  round  it  and  a  great 
stone  which  rolled  in  a  groove  and  blocked  the  entrance. 
Presently  the  servant  returned  and  brought  such  a  strange 
message  from  the  Lord:  "  This  sickness  is  not  unto  death, 
but  for  the  glory  of  God,  that  the  Son  of  God  may  be 
glorified  thereby."  What  could  it  mean  ?  Did  the  Lord 
think  that  Lazarus  would  recover  ?  But  he  was  dead. 
And  still  the  Lord  did  not  come.  But  Martha  and  Mary 
never  doubted  Him,  they  felt  that  in  some  way  they  did 
not  understand  He  would  help  them  yet.  It  was  on  the 
fourth  day  after  Lazarus'  death  that  Martha  heard  that  the 
Lord  had  come  to  Bethany ;  she  hastened  out  to  meet  Him 
(quote  verses  21-27  of  St.  John  xi.).  Then  the  Lord  asked 
for  Mary,  and  Martha  went  in  search  of  her.  She  was  in 
the  house,  probably  in  the  room  of  mourning,  sitting  on 
the  floor  among  the  upturned  couches  and  chairs,  while  the 
neighbours  sat  around,  trying  to  comfort  her.  Martha 
went  up  to  her  and  whispered:  "  The  Master  is  come  and 
calleth  for  thee  ;"  then  Mary  got  up  quickly  and  went  out, 
while  her  friends  thought,  "  She  is  going  to  the  grave  to 
weep  there."  But  Mary  went  straight  to  the  Lord  and 
fell  down  at  His  feet  and  said:  "  Lord,  if  Thou  hadst  been 
here  my  brother  had  not  died."  Then  the  Lord  asked 
where  he  was  buried,  and  they  said:  "  Lord,  come  and  see." 
And  the  Jews  who  had  followed  Mary  saw  how  sad  the  Lord 
was  at  the  trouble  of  His  friends,  and  said :  "  Could  not  this 
Man,  Who  has  opened  the  eyes  of  the  blind,  have  saved 
Lazarus  from  death  ?"     They  could  not  understand  it. 

They  came  to  the  grave.  Jesus  said:  "  Take  ye  away 
the  stone,"  but  Martha  nervously  interrupted.  "  He  has 
been  dead  for  four  days,"  she  said  anxiously.  She  felt 
that  no  good  could  come  from  opening  the  grave  of  a  dead 
man.  But  the  Lord  answered  gently:  "  Did  I  not  say  to 
thee,  that  if  thou  wilt  believe,  thou  shalt  see  the  glory  of 
God  ?"  So  they  rolled  away  the  stone.  Then  the  Lord 
Jesus  prayed  aloud  to  His  Father  in  Heaven,  and  then  He 


70  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

cried  with  a  loud  voice:  "Lazarus,  come  forth!"  And 
he  that  was  dead  came  forth,  all  bound  with  the  grave 
clothes  as  he  was,  and  the  Lord  said:  "  Unbind  him  and 
let  him  go  !" 

3.  Martha  and  Mary  show  their  Love  for  the  Lord. — Let 
the  class  discuss  how  Martha  and  Mary  would  feel  towards 
the  Lord  Jesus ;  lead  them  to  see  that  they  would  want  to 
show  their  gratitude. 

The  village  of  Bethany  had  arranged  to  give  a  feast  in 
honour  of  the  Lord  Jesus ;  everyone  round  about  had  seen 
His  wonderful  works,  He  had  healed  their  sick  and  preached 
to  them,  and  they  wished  to  show  their  gratitude.  The 
feast  was  held  in  the  house  of  a  man  named  Simon,  who 
had  been  a  leper,  but  had  been  healed  by  Christ.  Perhaps 
he  was  related  to  Martha  and  Mary,  as  they  had  a  great  deal 
to  do  with  the  feast.  Martha  busily  waited  at  table,  as 
she  loved  to  do,  and  Lazarus  was  a  guest  of  honour,  second 
only  to  the  Lord.  It  was  a  very  haj)py  day;  the  feast 
was  given  on  the  Sabbath,  as  was  the  Jewish  custom: 
perhaps  the  Lord  had  spoken  to  them  in  the  synagogue 
that  morning.  The  dining-room  opened  to  the  court- 
yard, which  was  filled  with  the  poor  people  of  the  place  who 
had  come  to  watch  the  feast  (a  quite  usual  custom),  and 
in  the  hope  of  seeing  Jesus,  and  Lazarus  whom  He  had 
raised  from  the  dead.  Presently  Mary  came  softly  up 
behind  our  Lord  as  He  lay  along  the  couch  by  the  dining- 
table;  she  carried  a  beautiful  alabaster  vase  of  most  precious 
ointment,  very  valuable,  probably  a  great  treasure  which 
she  had  had  by  her  for  some  time ;  this  she  now  broke,  and 
poured  some  of  the  rich  perfume  over  His  head,  and  the 
rest  over  His  feet,  which  she  wiped  with  her  long  hair. 
She  knew  that  the  Lord  would  not  be  with  her  much  longer ; 
she  knew  that  the  Jews  were  planning  to  kill  Him,  and  that 
since  He  had  raised  Lazarus  they  hated  Him  worse  than 
ever.  She  knew  that  the  Lord  would  not  save  Himself, 
for  He  had  told  her  what  He  had  come  to  do  and  she  under- 
stood; so  now  she  brought  the  most  precious  thing  she  had 


THE  AP0STLE8'  CREED  71 

and  broke  it  at  His  feet.  "  And  the  house  was  filled  with 
the  odour  of  the  ointment."  But  Judas,  who  was  a  thief, 
grumbled  and  said:  "  This  ointment  might  have  been  sold 
for  much  and  given  to  the  poor  ;"  it  was  worth  about  £9 
and  he  meant  to  steal  the  money  when  it  was  handed 
to  him  for  charity.  But  the  Lord  took  Mary's  part:  He 
well  understood  her  action  and  defended  her:  "Ye  have 
the  poor  always  with  you,"  He  said;  "  but  Me  ye  have  not 
always."  (Or  quote  St.  Mark  xiv.  6-9.)  For  it  makes 
the  Lord  Jesus  glad  when  His  friends  show  their  love 
for  Him. 

Association. — Question  on  the  lesson,  bringing  out  that 
through  their  kindness  and  hospitality  to  strangers  Martha 
and  Mary  became  acquainted  with  the  Lord,  that  when  they 
knew  Him  they  loved  and  trusted  Him,  and  when  they 
loved  Him  they  tried  to  show  their  love. 

Generalisation. — Let  the  class  discuss  the  way  in  which 
Christ  won  people's  love  and  changed  their  lives;  sum  up  on 
blackboard  in  some  such  way  as  follows : 

The  love  of  Christ  changed — 

Simon  the  fisherman     into  St.  Peter  the  Rock. 

The  Son  of  Thunder        ,,  The  Apostle  of  Love. 

Matthew  the  Publican    „  St.  Matthew  the  Apostle. 

Two  strangers  „  Devoted  friends. 

Application. — Christ  loves  His  friends  now  no  less  than 
He  loved  them  then;  how  can  we  show  our  love  to 
Him  in  return  ?  (Let  the  children  make  practical  sug- 
gestions.) 

Memory  Work.— Cat.  171. 

Expression  Work. — Suggest  that  the  children  should 
write  down  the  names  of  all  the  Lord's  friends  of  whom 
they  have  heard  in  this  section,  with  a  short  description  of 
how  each  one  came  to  know  and  love  Him,  or  with  symbols 
suggestive  of  their  occupations. 


72 


FAITH  AND  DUTY 


24. — Review  Lesson. 

Aim. — To  arrive  at  a  general  conception  of  the  second 
and  third  Articles  of  the  Creed. 

Review. — Lead  the  class  to  realise  both  the  Divinity  and 
the  Humanity  of  our  Blessed  Lord  in  some  such  way  as  the 
following,  building  up  a  B.B.  summary  on  these  lines  as 
the  lesson  proceeds.  The  facts  must,  of  course,  be  ques- 
tioned from  the  children. 


Jesus  Christ 


was  bom  by  the  Holy  Ghost  of 

the  Virgin  Mary 
was  worshipped  by  the  Magi 
was  at  home  in  the  Temple 
was    acknowledged    by    the 

Father  and  the  Holy  Ghost 
never  sinned 
made  water  wine 
fed  the  five  thousand 
stilled  the  storms 
healed  the  infirm,  the  blind, 

the  lepers 
raised  the  dead  to  life 

was  loved  and -worshipped  by 
His  friends 


in  a  stable: 

persecuted  by  Herod: 

worked  at  Nazareth: 

after  submitting  to  the  bap- 
tism of  John: 

was  tempted  by  the  devil: 

was  a  Guest  at  the  feast: 

was  often  tired  and  hungry : 

slept  from  exhaustion: 

never  used  His  power  to  save 
Himself  pain : 

went  in  danger  of  death  Him- 
self: 

loved  them  and  wept  for  their 


therefore  Jesus  Christ  is  truly  God  and  truly  Man. 

Application. — If  Jesus  Christ  is  God  and  Man,  Lord  and 
Friend,  we  must  give  Him  worship  and  love,  seek  His  help 
and  do  His  will.  Lead  the  children  to  thinli  out  what 
they  can  do. 

Memory  Work. — "  I  beheve  ...  in  Jesus  Christ  His 
only  Son  our  Lord,  Who  was  conceived  by  the  Holy  Ghost, 
born  of  the  Virgin  Mary  "  (Cat.  31,  47). 


ARTICLE  IV. 
"  Suffered  under  Pontius  Pilate  ,  .  .  and  buried." 
Aim. — To  show  Christ  as  our  Redeemer,  "  crushing"  the 
serpent's  head,  and  restoring  fallen  man. 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  73 

Teacher's  Thought.— 

One  like  the  Good  Samaritan  .  .  . 

Came  barefoot,  bootless,  without  spur  or  spear, 

Riding  on  an  ass's  back,  brightly  he  looked, 

Like  one  that  cometh  to  be  dubbed  knight. 

To  get  him  his  gilt  spurs  and  his  slashed  shoos. 

Faith  sat  in  a  window  liigh,  cried  "  Hosanna,  Son  of  David," 

As  a  herald  crieth  when  the  adventurous  come  unto  tourney, 

And  Jews  sang  for  joy,  "Blessed  is  he  that  cometh  in  the  name  of  the 

Lord." 
Then  I  asked  Faith  what  might  this  to-do  all  mean, 
And  who  should  fight  the  tourney  in  Jerusalem. 
"  Jesus"  says  he,  "  and  he  shall  fetch  what  the  Fiend  claimeth." 

Piers  Plowman. 

25.— Lesson  Subject :  Holy  Week  (the  First  Half). 

References.— St.  Matt.  xxi.  1-17;  St.  Mark  xi.  15-19; 
St.  Luke  xix.  45-48;  St.  John  xii.  9-19. 

Apparatus. — Pictures  of  the  entry  into  Jerusalem  and 
the  cleansing  of  the  Temple. 

Aim. — To  show  our  Lord  as  challenging  His  enemy. 

Introduction. — A  few  questions  on  the  enmity  of  the 
devil  to  our  Lord,  his  "  lying  in  wait "  for  Him,  his  fear 
that  Christ  had  come  to  "  crush  "  his  head — i.e.,  render  him 
powerless. 

Presentation  :  1.  The  Plots  of  Christ's  Enemy. — When 
the  devil  left  our  Lord  after  his  defeat  in  the  wilderness  it 
was  only  "for  a  time";  many  and  many  a  time  had  he 
tempted  Him  since,  and  many  attempts  to  hurt  Him  had 
he  made.  (Draw  from  the  class  that  the  devil  works 
through  men.)  Just  as  he  made  Adam  and  Eve  rebel 
against  God,  so  now  he  made  many  of  the  Jews  to  hate  the 
Lord  Jesus.  Like  Adam  and  Eve,  they  wanted  a  kingdom 
of  their  own  and  did  not  care  about  the  Kingdom  of  God. 
They  expected  a  King  sent  from  God,  but  they  wanted  one 
after  their  own  pattern;  one  who  would  be  great  and  rich 
and  who  would  lead  them  to  battle  against  the  Romans, 
and  rule  over  Palestine  as  an  earthly  King  of  the  Jews. 
The  Lord  Jesus  had  admitted  that  He  was  their  King,  that 
He  was  God  Himself,  but  He  refused  to  fight  or  to  reign 


74  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

as  an  earthly  King,  and  so  they  refused  to  believe  that  He 
was  a  King  at  all.  But  His  miracles  frightened  them, 
because  many  of  the  people  believed  in  Him  when  they 
saw  them.  (Let  the  class  tell  of  the  raising  of  Lazarus 
and  its  effect.)  There  in  Bethany  was  feasting  and  re- 
joicing, but  in  Jerusalem  the  Lord's  enemies  heard  about  it, 
and  the  devil  suggested :  Now  you  must  kill  Him.  And  the 
Lord  knew  all  about  it,  they  had  tried  to  kill  Him  before 
and  He  had  withdrawn  Himself,  but  now  He  had  other 
plans. 

2.  Christ  challenges  His  Enemy. — Narrate  the  triumphal 
entry  into  Jerusalem  simply  but  vividly,  in  the  words  of  the 
Bible  as  much  as  possible,  with  direct  speech.  If  the  story 
is  very  familiar  to  the  class  begin  it  and  let  them  continue. 
Emphasise  the  fact  that  Clirist  here  allowed  open  homage 
from  the  people,  and  accepted  their  acknowledgment  of 
His  divinity  and  kingship.  Explain  that  He  was  riding 
right  into  danger,  into  the  very  city  where  His  enemies 
(the  Scribes  and  Pharisees)  lived,  and  were  most  powerful. 
If  possible  let  the  class  draw  the  analogy  between  the  entry 
into  Jerusalem  and  the  journey  into  the  wilderness  of  the 
Temptation.  With  younger  children,  tell  them  that  Christ 
was  again  challenging  His  enemy  the  devil  as  He  had 
challenged  him  once  before. 

3.  Christ  dares  His  Enemy  to  do  his  Worst. — Tell  how  our 
Lord  went  out  that  night  to  Bethany  where  it  was  peaceful 
and  quiet,  and  where  He  could  think  and  pray.  Let  the 
class  remember  the  purpose  of  His  coming — to  save  us 
from  the  devil — and  how  that  could  only  be  done  by 
overthrowing  him.  He  must  be  dared  now  to  do  his  worst, 
once  for  all. 

The  next  morning  the  Lord  Jesus  and  His  disciples 
walked  into  Jerusalem  from  Bethany.  He  went  straight 
to  the  Temple  and  the  sight  He  saw  there  shocked  Him — ■ 
it  was  full  of  people  who  were  directly  disobeying  God's 
commands  and  behaving  irreverently  in  God's  own  house. 
They  had  droves  of  cattle  and  sheep  in  the  very  Temple 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  76 

courts,  and  tables  where  different  kinds  of  money  were 
changed,  and  stalls  with  cages  of  doves  for  sale — just  like  a 
market-place.  The  worst  of  it  was  that  the  scribes  and 
priests,  who  should  have  taken  care  of  the  Temple,  encour- 
aged all  this  buying  and  selling  because  they  made  money 
by  it :  they  cared  far  more  for  their  own  gain  than  for  God's 
honour.  And  then,  as  He  had  done  once  before,  the  Lord 
drove  them  all  out :  He  signed  to  the  drovers  to  take  away 
the  cattle.  He  overthrew  the  tables  of  the  money-changers 
and  the  seats  of  them  that  sold  doves  (but  not  the  dove- 
cages),  exclaiming:  "It  is  written,  'My  house  is  the  house 
of  prayer,'  but  you  have  made  it  a  den  of  thieves."  And 
the  scribes  and  chief  priests  heard  it  and  it  made  them  quite 
determined  to  kill  Him.  The  Lord  Jesus  knew  their  plans 
quite  well,  but  all  that  day  and  the  next  He  taught  in  the 
Temple  and  healed  the  blind  and  the  lame  who  came  to 
Him  there ;  and  whilst  the  people  wondered  at  His  miracles 
and  listened  eagerly  to  His  stories,  and  while  the  children 
followed  Him  to  the  Temple  courts  and  sang,  "  Hosanna 
to  the  Son  of  David,"  the  anger  of  His  enemies  increased 
hour  by  hour. 

He  was  daring  His  enemy  to  do  his  worst. 

4.  Christ's  Challenge  Accepted. — For  three  days  the  Lord 
Jesus  had  been  among  the  j)eople  in  Jerusalem,  daily,  but 
on  the  fourth  day  He  stayed  quietly  in  Bethany  with  His 
disciples.  And  in  Jerusalem  His  enemies  made  plans  to 
kill  Him.  They  saw  difficulties  in  the  way.  When  He 
came  to  Jerusalem  the  people  thronged  around  Him,  they 
loved  Him  and  would  fight  for  Him ;  how  could  His  enemies 
make  sure  of  finding  Him  alone  ?  As  they  sat  there, 
plotting  and  planning,  in  the  palace  of  Caiaphas  the  high- 
priest,  a  man  was  shown  in.  It  was  Judas,  one  of  the 
Lord's  disciples.  "  What  will  you  give  me,"  he  asked, 
"  and  I  will  betray  Him  to  you  ?"  Here  was  a  way  out 
of  their  difficulty;  this  man,  one  of  His  intimate  friends, 
would  tell  them  when  He  was  alone  and  defenceless,  and 
they  would  take  Him  prisoner  and  kill  Him  before  ever 


76  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

He  could  be  rescued.  (Draw  from  the  class  that  this  was 
the  devil's  doing.) 

Association. — Let  the  class  recapitulate  our  Lord's 
challenges  and  say  how  the  Evil  One  took  them  up. 

Memory  Work. — "  Our  Saviour  suffered  to  atone  for  our 
sins  and  to  i^urchase  for  us  eternal  life  "  (Cat.  55). 

Expression  Work. — Write  an  account  of  the  entry  into 
Jerusalem,  or  of  the  cleansing  of  the  Temple. 

Lead  the  children  to  suggest  and  draw  one  or  other  of  the 
following:  Palms,  a  knight's  accoutrements,  a  snake  about 
to  strike. 

Note  on  the  Feast  at  Bethany. — "  Matthew  and  Mark 
assign  the  actual  supper  to  '  two  days  before  the  Passover  ' ; 
John  may  merely  mean  that  He  came  to  Bethany  six  days 
before  (xii.  1-8),  not  that  the  supper  took  place  six  days 
before"  {Aids  to  the  New  Testament,  Fr.  H.  Pope).  But 
in  lessons  for  children  of  this  age  it  is  better  not  to  mention 
the  feast  as  among  the  possible  events  of  Holy  Week;  it 
would  tend  to  confuse  the  aim  and  overcrowd  the  canvas. 

26. — Lesson  Subject :  Holy  Thursday. 

References.— St.  Matt.  xxvi.  1,  2,  17-35;  St.  Mark  xiv. 
12-31;  St.  Luke  xxii.  7-40;  St.  John  xiii.,  xiv.,  xv.,  xvi., 
xvii. 

Apparatus. — Picture  of  the  Last  Supper,  sketch  of  an 
Eastern  dining-table. 

Aim. — To  show  how  our  Lord  prepared  His  friends  for 
the  Passion. 

Introduction. — Question  briefly  on  the  plots  of  Christ's 
enemies. 

Presentation  :  1.  The  Preparation  for  the  Passover. — The 
disciples  were  feehng  very  sad  on  Holy  Thursday  morning : 
in  His  long  talk  with  them  on  the  previous  day  our  Lord 
had  said  something  which  was  weighing  on  their  minds. 
"  You  know  that  after  two  days  is  the  Feast  of  the  Pass- 
over," He  had  said,  "  and  the  Son  of  man  shall  be  delivered 
up  to  be  crucified."     They  had  heard  Him  say  something 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  77 

like  this  before,  but  they  could  not  bear  to  think  of  it, 
it  was  too  dreadful.  Besides,  it  seemed  so  impossible. 
Crucifixion  was  a  Roman  punishment  for  criminals,  robbers, 
murderers  and  such  like — it  was  the  most  disgraceful 
punishment  that  could  be,  just  as  hanging  is  now;  and  the 
Lord  had  broken  no  law,  He  had  done  nothing  to  anger  the 
Roman  Government,  and  though  the  Jews  hated  Him, 
the}^  had  no  power  to  crucify  Him.  The  disciples  must 
have  hoped  against  hope  that  He  was  mistaken. 

The  two  disciples  who  loved  Him  best — Peter  and  John — 
were  probably  the  most  unhappy.  The  Lord  knew  this 
and  so  He  gave  them  something  to  do  for  Him.  (Continue 
in  the  words  of  St.  Luke  xxii.  8-12.)  Then  Peter  and  John 
set  out  for  Jerusalem,  and  on  entering  the  city  they  met  a 
man  carrying  a  pitcher  of  water,  just  as  the  Lord  had  said; 
so  they  followed  him  home  and  asked  the  owner  of  the 
house  if  he  would  allow  the  Lord  to  use  his  ordinary  guest- 
chamber  for  the  Passover  feast  that  night;  but  instead,  he 
took  them  uj)  to  the  best  room  in  the  house,  the  "  upper 
room,"  reached  by  an  outer  stairway,  where  they  could  be 
quite  alone  and  need  not  pass  through  the  house;  more  than 
that,  some  of  the  preparations  for  the  feast  were  already 
made  for  them.  Peter  and  John  now  went  on  to  the  Temple 
to  slay  the  Passover  lamb,  which  Judas  had  probably 
bought  the  day  before;  they  felt  sadder  than  ever,  every- 
thing had  come  true  just  as  the  Lord  had  said — supposing 
the  dreadful  thing  should  come  true  also  ?  The  Evening 
Sacrifice  was  going  on  in  the  Temple,  and  to-day  the  slay- 
ing of  the  lambs  formed  part  of  the  ceremony,  and  a 
portion  of  each  lamb  was  offered  to  God;  then  Peter  and 
John  took  their  lamb  home  and  arranged  for  it  to  be 
roasted  whole  (Eastern  lambs  were  very  small),  and  then 
they  would  see  that  everything  else  was  ready — unleavened 
bread,  bitter  herbs,  wine  and  water,  vinegar  in  a  bowl, 
and  a  mixture  called  "  charoseth,"  which  was  a  paste  made 
of  nuts,  raisins,  apples,  and  almonds,  made  thick  so  as  to 
resemble  the  clay  on  which  the  Israelites  worked  in  Egypt. 


78  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

2.  The  Paschal  Feast. — In  the  evening  the  Lord  came 
with  the  Twelve.  All  was  prepared.  The  room  was  bright 
with  lamps,  and  on  both  sides  and  at  one  end  of  the  tables 
were  couches  for  the  guests  to  he  upon,  reclining  on  one 
elbow.  First,  they  would  retell  the  story  of  the  first  Pass- 
over (let  the  class  tell  it,  and  how  it  was  eaten  in  haste, 
standing),  but  now  it  was  a  strict  rule  that  the  Passover 
feast  must  always  be  eaten  reclining  on  a  couch,  to  show 
that  they  were  in  the  Promised  Land,  in  ease  and  safety. 
Our  Lord  specially  wanted  the  disciples  to  think  to-night 
about  the  meaning  of  the  Passover — the  blood  of  the  lamb 
which  saved  the  Israehtes  from  the  destroying  angel,  the 
body  of  the  lamb  which  gave  them  strength  to  take  the 
hard  journey  before  them.  They  had  heard  it  all  so  often, 
they  repeated  it  all  again,  but  they  did  not  understand. 

3.  The  New  Passover. — Then  the  Lord  Jesus  explained; 
He  took  bread  and  blessed  it  and  gave  thanks  and  brake 
it  and  gave  to  them  saying:  "Take,  eat,  this  is  My  Body 
which  is  given  for  you  " — a  new  Food  to  give  them  new 
life  and  strength ;  and  then  in  like  manner  He  took  a  cup  of 
wine,  saying:  "Drink  ye  all  of  this,  for  this  is  My  Blood 
which  is  shed  for  j^ou  and  for  many  for  the  forgiveness  of 
sins" — the  Blood  of  another  Lamb,  to  save  them  from  the 
death  of  sin.  The  disciples  would  remember  that  the 
Passover  lambs  were  slain  in  the  Temple  and  offered  to  God ; 
if  the  Lord  Jesus  in  giving  them  His  Body  and  His  Blood 
meant  that  He  was  the  Passover  Lamb  of  which  the  others 
were  but  types.  He  must  be  about  to  offer  Himself  to  God 
for  them.  But  how  could  He  be  slain  ?  Who  would  harm 
Him  ?  Sorrowfully  sounded  the  Master's  voice,  "  I  say 
unto  you  that  one  of  you  shall  betray  Me."  (Continue  in 
words  of  St.  John  xiii.  22-30.) 

The  disciples  began  to  understand. 

4.  The  Lord  Jesus  comforts  His  disciples. — Their  Master 
Himself  was  the  Paschal  Lamb,  He  was  going  to  die,  He 
would  be  betrayed  by  one  of  them,  the  one  who  had  just 
gone  out  into  the  night;  but  as  the  door  closed  behind 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  79 

Judas  the  Lord  Jesus  said:  "  Now  is  the  Son  of  Man  glori- 
fied, and  God  is  glorified  in  Him."  He  wanted  them  to 
understand  clearly  that  all  which  was  about  to  happen  was 
the  Will  of  God.  "  Where  I  go  you  cannot  follow  Me  now," 
He  warned  them,  "  but  you  shall  follow  Me  presently.  I  go 
to  prepare  a  place  for  you."  But  they  must  not  be  sad 
when  He  had  gone.  "  Peace  I  leave  with  you,"  He  prom- 
ised them.  "  My  peace  I  give  unto  you;  not  as  the  world 
giveth  do  I  give  unto  you.  Let  not  your  heart  be  troubled, 
nor  let  it  be  afraid.  H  you  loved  Me  you  would  indeed 
be  glad,  because  I  go  to  the  Father.  And  now  I  have  told 
you  before  it  come  to  pass,  that  when  it  shall  come  to  pass, 
you  may  beheve.  I  tell  you  the  truth,  it  is  for  your  good 
that  I  go  away,  for  if  I  go  not  the  Comforter  will  not  come 
to  you;  but  if  I  go,  I  will  send  Him  to  you.  These  things 
have  I  spoken  to  you  that  in  Me  you  may  have  peace.  In  the 
world  you  shall  have  distress,  but  have  confidence,  I  have 
overcome  the  world."  So  the  Lord  comforted  His  dis- 
ciples, trying  to  make  them  understand  that  He  was 
dying  for  them  of  His  own  free  will,  out  of  His  exceeding 
love  ;  and  that,  if  they  would  but  trust  and  wait,  though 
sorrow  would  endure  for  a  night,  joy  should  come  in  the 
morning. 

They  had  left  the  supper  room  and  gone  out  beyond  the 
city  to  Mount  Olivet,  and  now  the  Lord  led  the  way  to  a 
certain  garden  which  He  loved  and  whither  He  often  went ; 
then,  leaving  His  disciples.  He  went  away  into  the  shade 
of  the  olive-trees  to  pray  and  to  be  alone  with  God. 

Memory  Work, — "  Jesus  Christ  is  called  our  Redeemer 
because  His  Precious  Blood  is  the  price  by  which  we  were 
ransomed"  (Cat.  56). 

Expression  Work. — Draw  an  Agnus  Dei,  or  the  Host  and 
Chahce. 

Write  an  account  of  the  Passover  or  of  the  Last  Supper. 

Note  on  the  "  Guest-chamber  "  and  the  Triclinium. — 
"  The  disciples  were  not  bidden  to  ask  for  the  chief  or 
'  upper  chamber,'  but  for  .  .  .  the  '  hostehy  '  or  '  hall ' — • 


80  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

katalyma  ...  if  an  apartment,  at  least  a  common  one, 
certainly  not  the  best.  Except  in  this  place  the  word  only 
occurs  as  the  designation  of  the  '  inn '  or  '  hostelry ' 
(hatalyma)  in  Bethlehem  ...  as  He  was  born  in  a  kata- 
lyina,  so  He  would  have  been  content  to  eat  there  His  last 
meal  .  .  .  but  the  unnamed  disciple  would  assign  to  Him, 
not  the  hall,  but  the  best  and  chief  est,  '  the  upper  chamber, ' 
or  aliyan,  at  the  same  time  the  most  honourable  and  the 
most  retired  place"  (Edersheim). 

"  Amongst  the  Jews,  when  a  feast  was  to  take  place, 
tables  were  arranged  so  as  to  form  three  sides  of  a  hollow 
square.  By  the  space  between  them  the  servants  had 
access  to  the  tables  .  .  .  couches  of  the  same  height  as  the 
tables  were  placed  along  them.  On  these  the  guests  re- 
clined, resting  their  left  elbows  on  a  cushion,  with  their  feet 
stretched  out  behind  them  on  the  couch.  Stuffed  mattresses 
covered  the  couches,  and  are  alluded  to  in  St.  Mark  vii.  4 
.  .  .  the  coverings  of  the  couches  .  .  .  were  washed  with 
scrupulous  care.  This  threefold  table  was  called  a  '  tri- 
clinium' by  the  Romans,  and  from  this  term  .  .  .  archi- 
triclinos  (steward  of  the  feast)  is  derived  (St.  John  ii.  8)" 
(Kitchin). 

27.— Lesson  Subject :  Good  Friday. 

References. — St.  Matt.  xxvi.  36  to  end  of  chapter  xxvii. ; 
St.  Mark  xiv.  32  to  end  of  chapter  xv.  St.  Luke  xxii.  39 
to  end  of  chapter  xxiii. ;  St.  John  chapters  xviii.  and  xix. 

Apparatus. — Pictures  of  the  Passion. 

Aim. — To  show  our  Lord  in  mortal  combat  with  His 
enemy. 

Note  to  the  Teacher. — If  the  class  is  susceptible  to  poetry, 
put  up  a  picture  of  Gethsemane  and  quietly  recite  the  follow- 
ing verses,  otherwise  omit  them.  Narrate  the  Passion  very 
simply,  putting  up  the  pictures  without  comment  as  they 
come  into  the  narrative.  With  all  but  the  youngest 
children  incapable  of  discussion  break  up  the  narrative  as 
suggested,  that  the  children  may  understand  the  Passion 


THE  AP08TLE8'  CREED  81 

as  a  conflict  ivith  the  devil,  the  sequel  to  the  Temptation  in 
the  wilderness. 

Introduction. — A  few  questions  on  the  end  of  the  previous 
lesson:  Our  Lord  in  Gethsemane. 

Introductory  Presentation. — Put  up  a  picture  of  Christ 
in  Gethsemane. 

Into  the  woods  my  Master  went 

Clean  f orespent,  forespent ; 

Into  the  woods  my  Master  came 

Forespent  with  love  and  shame. 

But  the  olives  they  were  not  blind  to  Him; 

The  little  grey  leaves  were  kind  to  Him. 

The  thorn -tree  had  a  mind  to  Him 

When  into  the  woods  He  came. 

Out  of  the  woods  my  Master  went 

And  He  was  well  content; 

Out  of  the  woods  my  Master  came 

Content  with  death  and  shame. 

When  death  and  shame  would  woo  Him  last 

From  under  the  trees  they  drew  Him  last : 

'Twas  on  a  tree  they  slew  Him  last 

When  out  of  the  woods  He  came. 

1.  In  Gethsemane. — Narrate  simply:  St.  Luke  xxii.  41-45; 
St.  John  xviii.  4-10;  St.  Matt.  xxvi.  52-54;  St.  Luke  xxii. 
52,  53.  Emphasise  the  last  verse;  discuss  with  the  class 
the  similarity  between  these  temptations  and  those  in  the 
wilderness :  to  save  Himself  and  win  allegiance  by  showing 
His  power;  then,  by  descending  from  the  pinnacle  of  the 
Temple,  now  by  summoning  angels  to  His  aid,  or  by  letting 
His  enemies  continue  to  feel  His  power  as  when  they  just 
now  recoiled  involuntarily  from  Him.  Let  the  class  recall 
our  Lord's  rule  in  this  matter. 

2.  Before  Annas  and  Caiaphas. — St.  John  xviii.  12-24; 
St.  Mark  xiv.  55-64.  Refer  to  the  temptation  to  obey  the 
devil  rather  than  God.  The  devil  being  the  father  of  Ues 
hoped  to  make  our  Lord  imply  an  untruth  in  order  to  save 
Himself :  it  was  His  admission  of  His  divinity  which  signed 
His  death-warrant.  Let  the  class  think  of  Christ's  rule 
in  this  matter  also. 

3.  St.  Peter's  Denial.— St.  John  xviii.  25-27 ;  St.  Luke  xxii. 
55-62.     "  Everyone  is  forsaking  You,"  taunted  the  devil. 


82  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

4.  Before  Pilate  and  Herod. — St.  Luke  xxiii.  1-23; 
St.  John  xix.  1-16.  Here  again,  had  He  but  shown  His 
power,  He  could  have  escaped.  He  might  so  easily  have 
worked  a  miracle  to  please  Herod,  or  complained  of  the 
Jews  to  Pilate  who  hated  them,  instead  of  letting  them 
bring  false  accusations  against  Him. 

5.  The  Crucifixion,  Death,  and  Burial. — St.  John  xix.  17-24 ; 
St.  Matt,  xxvii.  39-43.  Let  the  class  recall  to  mind  our 
Lord's  rule  never  to  use  His  power  to  help  Himself.  St. 
John  xix.  28-30;  St.  Luke  xxiii.  47-56. 

Association. — Let  the  class  consider  who,  to  all  appear- 
ance, had  won. 

"  Command  that  these  stones  be  made  bread,"  once 
tempted  the  devil,  and  Christ  refused;  now  when  He  cried, 
"  I  thirst !"  they  gave  Him  vinegar  to  drink.  "  Show 
Your  power  and  all  will  believe  in  You,"  suggested  the 
devil :  now  the  people  taunted  Him  with  His  helplessness. 
"  Worship  me,  and  all  the  kingdoms  of  the  world  shall  be 
yours,"  promised  the  devil:  now  in  insult,  they  caUed  Him 
the  King  of  the  Jews.  Farther  back  yet,  in  the  Garden  of 
Eden,  death  was  sent  as  a  punishment  for  sin,  and  now  the 
Promised  One,  the  Saviour-King,  was  dead,  and  biu-ied 
in  a  garden.  But  there  was  this  difference.  Adam  died 
because  he  was  disobedient,  Christ  died  because  He  was 
obedient.  The  devil  had  no  doubt  at  all  about  who  had 
won;  the  only  victory  for  him  lay  in  making  Christ  dis- 
obedient, and  he  had  failed  utterly  and  knew  it  well ;  he 
had  hurt  the  Saviour's  heel,  (does  He  not  bear  the  marks 
still  ?),  but  he  himself  had  received  a  mortal  wound.  (As 
far  as  possible,  question  the  above  from  the  class.) 

Memory  Work.— Cat.  52,  53,  54. 

Expression  Work. — Describe  the  prioe  which  our  Saviour 
paid  for  our  redemption. 

Describe  the  conflict  between  our  Lord  and  the  Evil 
One. 

Draw  the  symbols  of  the  Passion. 

Sing  the  Stabat  Mater. 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  83 

28.— Lesson  Subject :  The  Sign  oJ  the  Cross. 

Apparatus. — Picture  of  a  knight  holding  his  sword. 

Aim. — To  review  the  section,  bringing  out  the  aim,  and 
to  teach  the  significance  of  the  sign  of  the  Cross. 

Introduction. — Put  up  a  picture  of  St.  George  or  of  some 
other  knight;  let  the  class  notice  his  cross-hilted  sword. 

Presentation  :  1.  The  Dragon-haunted  City. — "  On  a  time 
(St.  George)  came  to  a  city  .  .  .  and  by  this  city  was  a 
pond  like  a  sea,  wherein  was  a  dragon  which  envenomed 
all  the  country.  And  on  a  time  the  people  were  assembled 
for  to  slay  him,  and  when  they  saw  him  they  fled.  And 
when  he  came  nigh  to  the  city,  he  venomed  the  people 
with  his  breath;  and  therefore  the  people  of  the  city  gave 
to  him  every  day  two  sheep  for  to  feed  him,  because  he 
should  do  no  harm  to  the  people,  and  when  the  sheep 
failed  there  was  taken  a  man  and  a  sheep.  Then  was  an 
ordinance  made  in  the  town  that  there  should  be  taken 
the  children  and  young  people  of  them  of  the  town  by  lot, 
and  every  each  of  one  as  it  fell,  were  he  gentle  or  poor, 
should  be  dehvered,  when  the  lot  fell  on  him  or  her.  So 
it  happed,  that  many  of  them  of  the  tovvii  were  then  dehv- 
ered, insomuch  that  the  lot  fell  upon  the  king's  daughter, 
whereof  the  king  was  sorry,  and  said  unto  the  people: 
'  For  the  love  of  the  gods  take  gold  and  silver  and  all  that 
I  have,  and  let  me  have  my  daughter.'  They  said:  '  How 
I  sir  ?  Ye  have  made  and  ordained  the  law,  and  our 
children  be  now  dead,  and  ye  would  do  the  contrary. 
Your  daughter  shall  be  given,  or  else  we  shall  burn  you  and 
your  house.'  " 

2.  St.  George  to  the  Rescue. — "  When  the  king  saw  he 
might  no  more  he  began  to  weep.  .  .  .  Then  did  the  king 
do  array  his  daughter  Hke  as  she  should  be  wedded,  and 
embraced  her,  kissed  her,  and  gave  her  his  benediction, 
and  after  led  her  to  the  place  where  the  dragon  was.  When 
she  was  there,  St.  George  passed  by;  and  when  he  saw  the 
lady  he  demanded  the  lady  what  she  did  there,  and  she  said, 


84  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

'  Go  ye  your  way,  fair  young  man,  that  ye  perish  not  also.' 
Then  said  he :  '  Tell  me  what  have  ye,  and  why  weep  ye, 
and  doubt  ye  of  nothing.'  When  she  saw  that  he  would 
know,  she  said  to  him  how  she  was  dehvered  to  the  dragon. 
Then  said  St.  George :  '  Fair  daughter,  doubt  ye  nothing 
hereof,  for  I  shall  help  ye  in  the  Name  of  Jesu  Christ.' 
She  said :  '  For  God's  sake,  good  knight,  go  your  way,  and 
abide  not  Avith  me,  for  ye  may  not  deliver  me.'  Thus, 
as  they  spake  together,  the  dragon  appeared,  and  came 
running  to  them;  and  St.  George  was  upon  his  horse,  and 
drew  out  his  sword,  and  garnished  him  with  the  sign  of  the 
Cross,  and  rode  hardly  against  the  dragon,  which  came 
towards  him,  and  smote  him  with  his  spear,  and  hurt  him 
sore,  and  threw  him  to  the  ground.  And  after  said  to 
the  maid :  '  Deliver  to  me  your  girdle,  and  bind  it  about  the 
neck  of  the  dragon  and  be  not  af eared.'  "  (From  The 
Golden  Legend.) 

Association. — Let  the  class  briefly  recall  the  main  points 
of  the  story;  the  cruel  dragon  which  had  the  city  at  its 
mercy,  the  helpless  people  as  represented  by  the  princess, 
the  gallant  knight  who  fought  the  dragon  at  the  risk  of  his 
own  Hfe,  and  mortally  wounded  him.  Ask  the  children  if 
this  story  reminds  them  of  anything  they  have  just  learnt; 
help  them  to  suggest  the  Evil  One,  the  serpent,  who  in  the 
Garden  of  Eden  obtained  such  a  hold  on  us  that  we  were 
at  his  mercy,  so  that  he  would  have  destroyed  us  one  and 
all  had  not  our  Knight  come  by,  and  saved  us  by  His 
sword,  the  Cross. 

Sum  up  as  follows  on  B.B. : 

The  dragon  meant  to  devour  -     -     -     The   devil    meant    to    destroy 

the  city  the  world. 

St.  George  fought  the  dragon  -     -     -     Our  Lord  fought  the  devil. 

St.     George    conquered    the  -     -     -     Our  Lord  conquered  the  devil 

dragon  with  his  sword  and  by  His  Cross. 

spear 

Illustration. — Sixteen  hundred  years  ago  mighty  battles 
were  raging  much  like  the  recent  battles  of  the  Great  War. 
Four  great  Emperors  were  fighting  together.     Three  of 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  85 

them  hated  the  Christians  and  killed  their  Christian  subjects ; 
but  the  fourth,  Constantine,  became  a  Christian  himself. 
How  the  Christians  hoped  that  Constantine  would  win  ! 
And  he  was  winning,  but  a  mighty  battle  against  strong 
enemy  forces  lay  before  him,  and  everything  depended  on 
the  result.  Suddenly,  in  broad  noonday,  there  appeared 
in  the  sky  a  shining  Cross  with  the  words  In  hoc  signo  vinces 
(In  this  sign  thou  shalt  conquer)  blazing  round  it.  Con- 
stantine and  all  his  army  saw  the  Cross  in  the  sky;  and 
in  a  dream  that  night  our  Lord  appeared  to  the  Emperor 
and  told  him  to  take  the  Cross  for  his  standard;  so  he  went 
into  battle  with  the  sign  of  victory  emblazoned  on  his 
banners,  and  conquered  gloriously. 

Draw  a  large  cross  on  B.B.  Question  from  the  class  that 
our  Lord  was  sent  by  God  the  Father  (draw  two  hands  above 
the  cross),  and  helped  by  God  the  Holy  Spirit  (draw  a  dove 
between  the  hands  and  the  cross),  so  that  the  Holy 
Trinity  all  worked  together  for  our  salvation  from  the 
Evil  One. 

(This  is  an  early  representation  of  the  Holy  Trinity. 
Be  careful  to  explain  that  the  hands  are  only  a  symbol  of 
God  the  Father,  suggestive  of  His  power  and  protective 
care.  Remind  children  that  no  man  hath  seen  God  because 
He  is  a  Spirit,  therefore  we  can  have  no  picture  of  Him, 
we  can  only  picture  God  made  Man,  our  Blessed  Lord. 
If  preferred,  this  symboHc  drawing  may  be  prepared 
beforehand,  and  the  symbols  uncovered  as  required.) 

Generalisation. — Help  the  class  to  arrive  at  the  following : 

"  Jesus  Christ  our  Saviour  conquered  the  devil  by  His 
obedience,  even  unto  death  on  the  Cross;  therefore  the  Cross 
is  the  sign  of  our  salvation." 

Application. — As  our  Lord  has  done  so  much  for  us,  what 
shall  we  do  for  Him  ?  (Obey  Him  rather  than  Usten  to  the 
devil. ) 

How  do  we  know  that  He  can  help  us  when  tempted  ? 

What  sign  shall  we  make  when  tempted  ? 

Of  what  will  that  sign  remind  us  ? 


86  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

Memory  Work. — "  We  make  the  sign  of  the  cross — first 
to  put  us  in  mind  of  the  Blessed  Trinity  by  the  words:  '  In 
the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy 
Ghost;  and,  secondly,  to  remind  us  that  God  the  Son  died 
for  us  on  the  cross,  by  the  very  form  of  the  cross  which 
we  make  upon  ourselves  "  (Cat.  59,  60,  61). 

Expression  Work.— Write  the  story  of  St.  George,  or  the 
story  of  the  Shining  Cross. 

Draw  Constantine's  vision,  or  copy  the  drawing  on  the 
B.B. 

ARTICLE  V. 

"He  descended  .  .  .  from  the  dead." 

Aim. — To  show  Christ  as  the  mighty  Conqueror  of  death, 
yet  still  the  intimate  Friend  of  man. 

Teacher's  Thought. — "  Death  shall  no  more  have 
dominion  over  Him"  (Romans  vi.  9). 

"  You  are  My  friends  if  you  do  the  things  that  I  command 
you"  (St.  John  XV.  14). 

29. — Lesson  Subject :  **  He  descended  into  Hell." 

References.— St.  Luke  xvi.  19-26,  xxiii.  39-43;  1  St. 
Peter  iii.  19,  20. 

Apparatus. — A  picture  of  the  angel  with  the  flaming  sword 
at  the  gate  of  Eden. 

Aim. — To  explain  something  of  our  Lord's  descent  into 
hell. 

Introduction. — Describe  in  words  or  put  up  a  picture  of 
the  angel  guarding  the  gate  of  Eden,  let  the  class  recall  and 
tell  the  story. 

Presentation  :  1.  The  Gate  oJ  Heaven  closed. — Take  up* 
or  supplement  (as  the  case  requires),  the  story  of  the 
expulsion  from  Eden  as  told  by  the  class,  bringing  out  that 
by  sin  Adam  and  Eve  had  closed  not  only  Eden,  but  also 
heaven,  both  to  themselves,  and  to  us  their  children. 
God  walked  in  the  garden  with  them  before  they  sinned, 
and  made  the  garden  heaven   by  His  Presence;  and  He 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  87 

would  also  have  let   them  enter  heaven  -without  passing 
through  death.     Death  was  the  punishment  of  sin. 

2.  Those  who  waited  without  the  Gate. — The  gate  of 
heaven  was  closed,  but  countless  people  died  year  by  year, 
many  of  whom  loved  God  and  tried  to  please  Him ;  what 
became  of  them  ?  (Let  the  children  recall  all  the  holy 
persons  of  the  Old  Testament  dispensation  of  whom  they 
have  heard — Abraham,  Moses,  David,  etc.,  and  think  out 
the  position  for  themselves:  God  would  not  send  them  to 
hell,  and  heaven  was  barred  to  them,  holy  as  they  were.) 
The  Jews  knew  that  there  was  a  place  of  waiting  for  holy 
souls,  and  for  those,  too,  who  had  sinned  but  had  been  sorry. 
They  called  this  place  "paradise,"  which  meant  a  park 
surrounding  a  palace,  thinking  of  it  as  on  the  outskirts  of 
heaven;  or  they  called  it  "Abraham's  bosom,"  thinking 
of  it  as  a  feast  where  they  reclined  on  couches,  each  with 
his  head  against  the  breast  of  his  neighbour;  and  as  they 
could  not  be  in  the  actual  presence  of  God,  they  felt  that 
to  be  Avith  Abraham  His  friend  was  the  next  best  thing. 
Our  Lord  spoke  of  this  place  in  one  of  His  stories : 

There  was  a  poor  beggar  man  who  was  too  ill  to  work, 
and  could  do  nothing  but  lie  at  a  rich  man's  gate,  living  on 
the  bits  of  broken  food  which  he  gave  him — ^a  dreadful 
life,  full  of  pain,  cold  and  hungry  in  winter,  burning  with 
heat  and  thirst  in  summer ;  but  Lazarus  never  complained, 
he  loved  God  and  bore  his  troubles  patiently  to  prove  his 
love;  and  so  when  he  died  angels  came  and  carried  him  to 
"  Abraham's  bosom,"  and  he  was  comforted.  But  this 
happy  place,  which  is  also  called  "  limbo,"  adjoined  hell, 
for  the  selfish  rich  man  went  there  when  he  died,  and  he 
could  see  Lazarus  with  Abraham,  and  called  to  him  for 
help,  but  Abraham  told  him  that  there  was  a  great  gulf 
between  them  which  might  not  be  crossed. 

3.  The  Gates  of  Heaven  opened. — When  our  Lord  was 
hanging  on  the  Cross,  with  a  crucified  thief  on  either  side 
of  Him,  one  of  them  began  to  insult  Him,  repeating  that 
old  taunt  of  the  devil,  "  If  Thou  be  Christ  (a  King)  save 


88  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

Thyself  and  us."  But  the  other  thief  rebuked  him,  saying, 
"  We  deserve  our  punishment,  but  this  Man  has  done 
nothing  wrong;"  and  then  he  turned  to  our  Lord  and 
prayed,  "Lord,  remember  me  when  Thou  comest  into  Thy 
kingdom."  He  knew  that  our  Lord  was  a  King,  for  he  had 
been  watching  Him,  and  only  a  king  could  show  such 
royal  dignity.  Then  Jesus  said  to  him,  "  This  day  shalt 
thou  be  with  Me  in  paradise."  Paradise  !  the  park  of  the 
kingly  palace.  Soon  afterwards  our  Blessed  Lord  died, 
and  His  soul  descended  to  limbo  or  paradise ;  we  can  imagine 
how  Abraham  and  Moses  and  David  would  welcome  Him  ! 
They  knew  that  God  had  promised  a  Saviour — how  wonder- 
ful it  must  have  been  for  them  when  Christ  Himself  came 
to  them  and  told  them  all  that  He  had  done,  and  flung 
open  to  them  the  gates  of  heaven  ! 

Memory  Work. — "  As  soon  as  Christ  was  dead.  His  blessed 
soul  went  down  into  that  part  of  hell  called  limbo,  a  place 
of  rest,  where  the  souls  of  the  just  who  died  before  Christ 
were  detained,  because  they  could  not  go  up  to  the  kingdom 
of  heaven  until  Christ  had  opened  it  for  them  "  (Cat.  63? 
64,  65). 

Expression  Work. — Make  a  list  of  God's  friends  who  would 
be  most  eager  to  welcome  our  Lord  in  limbo. 

Draw  a  symboHc  picture — the  palace  (heaven),  the  park 
(paradise),  the  deep  gulf  (hell). 

30. — Lesson  Subject :  The  Resurrection  of  our  Blessed 

Lord. 

References.— St.  Matt,  xxvii.  62  to  xxviii.  10;  St.  Mark 
xvi.  1-11;  St.  Luke  xxiii.  50  to  xxiv.  12;  St.  John  xix.  38 
to  XX.  18. 

Apparatus. — Picture  or  model  of  a  Jewish  tomb,  pictures 
of  the  resurrection  morning. 

Aim. — To  show  how,  in  His  Resurrection,  our  Lord  con- 
quered death. 

Introduction. — A  few  questions  on  the  last  lesson,  bring- 
ing out  that  the  soul  of  our  Lord  descended  into  limbo. 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  89 

Presentation  :  1.  The  Body  of  our  Lord  laid  in  the  Tomb. 

—When  the  Lord  Jesus  died  on  Good  Friday  afternoon  a 
rich  disciple  of  His  went  to  Pilate  and  asked  if  he  might 
take  away  His  body  and  bury  it.  He  could  not  bear  to 
think  of  Him  being  buried  carelessly  with  the  two  thieves 
in  a  common  grave.  As  St.  Joseph  of  Arimathea  was  rich 
and  powerful  Pilate  granted  his  request;  he  would  have 
refused  if  any  of  the  poor  fishermen  disciples  had  asked. 
So  Joseph  took  away  the  Precious  Body  to  bury  in  his  own 
new  tomb;  and  another  rich  friend,  Nicodemus,  came  to 
help  him,  bringing  spices  to  put  in  the  folds  of  the  linen 
cloths  which  they  wrapped  around  Him. 

We  know  exactly  what  these  garden  tombs  of  the  rich 
Jews  were  like,  because  some  of  them  have  been  found, 
and  we  have  written  descriptions  of  them  too.  (Joseph's 
was  a  loculus  tomb,  as  is  proved  by  the  details  given  in  the 
Gospels.)  So  we  can  see  Joseph  and  Nicodemus  reverently 
carrying  our  Blessed  Lord's  Body  through  the  garden  up  to 
a  cave  in  the  rock,  which  had  been  hollowed  out  to  form 
a  stone  room ;  they  would  stoop  under  a  low  doorway  and 
lay  the  Body  down  in  a  little  court ;  then  they  would  take 
long  strips  of  linen — ^perhaps  they  tore  into  strips  the  linen 
cloth  in  which  He  was  wrapped — and  they  would  wind  the 
strips  round  and  round  His  Body;  and  in  between  the  folds 
they  put  spices — ground  myrrh  and  aloe  wood,  quantities 
of  it,  over  five  stone  weight ;  then  they  bound  a  cloth  round 
His  head,  and  Ufted  the  Precious  Body  and  carried  it  into 
the  inner  room  of  the  tomb  and  laid  it  reverently  on  a  low 
stone  shelf.  They  did  all  this  because  they  thought  that  the 
spices  would  help  to  preserve  the  Body  till  the  Last  Day;  it 
was  a  Jewish  custom,  and  they  had  not  the  least  idea  that 
the  Lord  Jesus  had  no  need  of  any  such  things.  They  did 
it  out  of  love  for  Him,  but  they  were  forced  to  do  it  hastily, 
for  this  was  a  Friday,  and  the  Jewish  Sabbath  began  at  six 
o'clock,  after  which  they  might  do  no  more  work;  perhaps 
they  intended  to  come  back  and  finish  the  embalmment  after 
the  Sabbath.     So  they  left  the  tomb,  closing  the  door  with 


90  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

a  great  round  flat  stone,  which  rolled  back  in  a  groove  when 
released  from  its  wedge  and  settled  in  front  of  the  door. 
It  was  very  heavy,  and  would  take  two  or  three  men  to 
push  it  up  the  slanting  groove  again. 

The  women  friends  of  our  Lord  watched  where  they  had 
laid  Him;  they  also  Avanted  to  bring  spices  to  put  in  His 
grave,  but  there  was  no  more  time,  so  they  planned  to  do 
it  early  on  the  morning  after  the  Sabbath. 

2.  The  Tomb  sealed  and  guarded. — But  the  enemies  of 
the  Lord  were  uneasy.  They  remembered,  what  the 
disciples  had  forgotten,  that  the  Lord  had  said  that  He 
would  rise  again  after  three  days.  So  the  next  day  they 
went  to  Pilate,  saying,  "  Sir,  we  remember  that  that  de- 
ceiver said,  while  He  was  yet  aUve,  '  After  three  days  I  wiU 
rise  again ' ;  command  therefore  that  His  grave  be  carefully 
guarded  until  the  third  day,  lest  His  disciples  come  by 
night  and  steal  Him  away,  and  say  unto  the  people :  '  He  is 
risen  from  the  dead,'  for  if  they  believe  that  it  will  be  worse 
than  merely  beUeving  Him  to  be  a  good  man  while  He  was 
aUve."  Pilate  answered:  "Very  well,  take  a  guard  of 
soldiers  and  do  as  you  like  about  it."  So  they  went  in 
great  triumph  and  sealed  the  tomb  by  putting  a  lump  of 
clay  where  the  rolling  stone  joined  the  wall,  and  stamping 
the  wet  clay  with  a  seal,  that  they  might  know  if  anyone 
broke  in;  and  then  they  set  a  guard  of  soldiers  to  watch 
unceasingly. 

3.  The  Empty  Tomb. — Very,  very  early,  while  it  was  yet 
dark,  St.  Mary  Magdalene  and  one  or  two  of  her  friends  went 
to  the  tomb  in  the  garden,  carrying  bundles  of  spices  to  put 
in  the  grave  of  the  Lord.  They  knew  nothing  about  the 
guard  of  soldiers,  the  one  thing  that  troubled  them  was  how 
they  were  to  roll  away  the  stone  from  the  door.  But  when 
they  reached  the  tomb  the  stone  was  rolled  away,  and  no 
soldiers  were  there  !  For  earlier  yet  on  that  first  Easter 
morning  the  Angel  of  the  Lord  had  descended  from  heaven 
amidst  a  great  earthquake,  and  rolled  back  the  stone,  and 
sat  upon  it,  and  his  countenance  was  like  lightning  and 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  91 

his  raiment  white  as  snow;  and  when  the  soldiers  saw  him 
they  trembled,  and  wellnigh  fainted  for  fear,  and  fled  away 
into  the  city  to  tell  the  chief  priests.  It  would  seem  that 
St.  Mary  Magdalene  was  in  front  of  the  other  women;  she 
probably  hastened  forward  because  of  her  great  desire  to 
reach  the  tomb  of  her  Lord,  but  when  she  saw  the  stone  rolled 
away  she  was  overcome  with  grief,  feeling  sure  that  some- 
one had  stolen  His  Body ;  therefore,  never  waiting  to  look  in, 
she  ran  back  to  the  city,  to  St.  John  and  St.  Peter,  and 
said  to  them:  "  They  have  taken  away  the  Lord  out  of  the 
sepulchre  and  we  know  not  where  they  have  laid  Him." 
Then  St.  Peter  and  St.  John  started  off  in  haste,  and  ran  to 
the  garden  to  see  for  themselves.  But  meanwhile,  the  other 
women  reached  the  tomb,  and  timidly  peeping  in,  they  were 
startled  to  see  a  dazzling  angel  sitting  by  the  shelf  where  the 
Body  of  Jesus  had  lain,  and  the  shelf  was  empty.  "  Why 
seek  ye  the  Living  among  the  dead  ?"  asked  the  angel. 
"  He  is  risen.  He  is  not  here,  behold  the  place  where  they 
laid  Him.  Go  quickly  and  tell  His  disciples  that  He  is 
risen  from  the  dead."  Then  they  went  out  quickly  and 
fled  from  the  sepulchre,  trembling  with  fright,  and  they 
were  afraid  to  tell  anyone  what  they  had  seen. 

Then  St.  John  arrived,  he  had  outrun  St.  Peter,  and 
stooping  down  he  looked  into  the  tomb  and  saw  the  linen 
clothes  lying  an  the  shelf  with  the  heavy  spices  still  in  their 
folds.  Then  St.  Peter  came  up  and  entered  the  tomb,  and  he, 
too,  was  instantly  struck  by  the  position  of  the  wrappings, 
lying  in  their  folds,  in  no  way  disturbed,  the  cloth  which  had 
been  wound  round  the  head  still  lying  swathed  turban- wivse 
by  itself.  St.  John  now  entered  too,  and  looked  carefully, 
and  knew  what  had  come  to  pass.  (Let  the  class  thinli  out 
for  themselves  the  meaning  of  the  folded  wrappings — i.e., 
that  the  Body  had  not  been  stolen,  else  all  would  have  been 
in  disorder,  neither  had  it  risen  from  a  swoon  for  then  the 
grave  clothes  would  have  been  unwrapped  and  the  spices 
scattered — refer  to  the  command  at  the  raising  of  Lazarus : 
"  Loose  him  and  let  him  go  " — but  this  Body  had  been 


92  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

withdrawn  without  disturbing  anything  in  the  least,  there- 
fore it  was  not  now  as  other  bodies  are,  some  stupendous 
miracle  had  taken  place.) 

4.  The  Risen  Lord. — St.  Mary  Magdalene  could  not  keep 
away  from  the  tomb,  she  went  back  and  stood  outside 
weeping.  Presently  she  stooped  down  and  looked  in  and 
saw  two  angels,  the  one  at  the  head  and  the  other  at  the 
feet  where  the  Body  of  Jesus  had  lain.  "  Woman,  why  do 
you  weep  ?"  they  asked  kindly.  "  Because  they  have 
taken  away  my  Lord  and  I  know  not  where  they  have 
laid  Him,"  she  answered  broken-heartedly.  Then  she 
turned,  back  to  the  garden  and  saw  Someone  standing  there, 
but  she  did  not  know  Who  it  was.  She  thought  it  must  be 
the  gardener.  The  Stranger  said  to  her:  "Woman,  why 
do  you  weep  ?  Whom  do  you  seek  ?"  She  answered 
eagerly,  "  Sir,  if  thou  hast  taken  Him  hence,  tell  me  where 
thou  hast  laid  Him,  and  I  will  take  Him  away."  Jesus 
said  to  her  "  Mary  !"  in  the  voice  she  knew  so  well,  and 
with  a  glad  cry  she  flung  herself  at  His  feet. 

Afterwards  our  Lord  met  the  frightened  women  and 
made  Himself  known  to  them,  and  they  came  and  held 
Him  by  the  feet  and  worshipped  Him.  And  He  said  to 
them:  "  Be  not  afraid." 

Association. — Let  the  class  consider  how  that  the  triumph 
of  Christ  was  now  complete:  He  had  remedied  man's 
disobedience  by  His  perfect  obedience,  and  He  had 
drawn  the  sting  from  man's  punishment  by  conquering 
death  itself  —  death  has  no  more  power  over  Him,  and 
He  has  promised  us:  "Because  I  live  you  shall  live 
also." 

Memory  Work. — "  After  Christ  had  been  dead  and 
buried  part  of  three  days.  He  raised  His  blessed  body  to 
life  again  on  the  third  day.  Christ  rose  again  from  the 
dead  on  Easter  Sunday  "  (Cat.  66,  67). 

Expression  Work. — Write  an  account  of  the  Resurrection 
from  the  point  of  view  of  St.  Mary  Magdalene,  St.  Peter,  or 
one  of  the  guard. 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  93 

Describe  how  it  was  that  SS.  Peter  and  John  knew  that 
the  Lord  was  risen  even  before  they  saw  Him. 
Draw  the  tomb  and  grave  clothes. 

Christ's  Commands  to  His  Friends. 

3L— Lesson  Subject :  To  Believe  (St.  Thomas  and 
Others.) 

References.— St.  Luke  xxiv.  13-43;  St.  Mark  xvi.  12,  13; 
St.  John  XX.  19-29. 

Apparatus. — Pictures  of  the  walk  to  Emmaus  and  the 
appearance  to  St.  Thomas. 

Aim. — To  show  our  Lord  teaching  His  friends  to  believe. 

Introduction. — Question  briefly  on  the  last  lesson, 
bringing  out  the  disciples'  difficulty  in  believing  that  Christ 
had  really  risen  from  the  dead. 

Presentation  :  1.  The  Walk  to  Emmaus.— On  that  first 
Easter  Sunday  afternoon  two  men  were  walking  out  to 
a  village  beyond  Jerusalem.  They  had  knov/n  and  loved 
the  Lord  Jesus,  and  were  now  talking  sadly  about  His 
death  and  burial.  And  as  they  walked  and  talked,  Jesus 
joined  them,  but  they  did  not  know  Who  it  was. 

"  What  are  you  talking  about  which  makes  you  so  sad  ?" 
He  asked  them.  And  one  of  them,  named  Cleophas, 
answered :  "  Are  You  a  stranger  in  Jerusalem,  and  so  do  not 
know  the  things  that  have  happened  there  this  last  week  ?" 
"  What  things  ?"  asked  the  Lord.  "  About  Jesus  of 
Nazareth,"  they  answered,  "Who  was  a  great  Prophet; 
but  the  chief  priests  and  our  rulers  hated  Him,  and  con- 
demned Him  to  death  and  crucified  Him.  And  we  had 
hoped  that  He  was  the  Promised  One,  Who  should  have 
redeemed  Israel.  Besides,  it  is  now  the  third  day  since 
He  was  killed,  and  we  had  hoped  that  something  might 
happen  on  the  third  day,  from  what  He  said  to  us.  Cer- 
tainly some  of  our  women  friends  said  that  they  found  His 
tomb  empty  this  morning,  and  told  a  tale  of  angels  who  said 
that  He  was  alive;  but  when  some  of  the  disciples  went  to  see 


94  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

they  only  found  the  empty  tomb — they  saw  nothing  of  the 
Lord." 

Then  the  Lord  Jesus  said  to  them,  reproachfully,  "  Oh, 
how  slow  you  are  to  believe  God's  promises,  how  foolish  not 
to  understand  all  that  is  written  in  the  Scriptures  about 
the  Promised  One,  the  Christ.  Do  you  not  remember  that 
God  has  promised  all  along  to  send  a  Saviour  Who  should 
crush  the  serpent's  head,  though  the  serpent  should  lie 
in  wait  for  His  heel  ?  for  some  would  hate  Him  and  kill 
Him,  but  He  should  conquer  in  the  end.  Now  all  this  has 
come  to  pass,  Christ  has  come,  and  has  fulfilled  all  the  will 
of  God  the  Father:  He  has  lived  on  earth,  and  suffered 
and  died  for  man,  and  now  He  has  risen  again  from  the 
dead,  which  was  all  part  of  God's  plan.  So  everything  is 
put  right  once  more,  and  God  and  man  can  be  friends 
together  again,  as  they  were  before  Adam  sinned." 

In  some  such  words  as  these  the  Lord  Jesus  explained 
the  promises  in  the  Bible  to  them  as  they  walked  along, 
and  they  understood  at  last  all  that  had  seemed  so  dark 
and  strange  before.  When  they  drew  near  to  the  village 
where  they  were  going,  He  seemed  as  if  He  were  going 
farther,  but  they  begged  Him  to  come  in  and  have  supper 
with  them.  Then,  as  they  were  sitting  at  table,  He  took 
bread  and  blessed  it  and  gave  to  them,  and  instantly  the 
two  men  knew  Who  He  was ;  and  He  vanished  out  of  their 
sight.  And  they  said  to  each  other :  "  Did  we  not  feel  Who 
it  was  when  He  spoke  to  us  so  wonderfully,  as  we  came 
along  ?"  Then  they  hurried  back  to  Jerusalem  to  tell 
the  good  news  to  the  others. 

2.  The  Appearance  to  the  Apostles. — Cleophas  and  his 
friend  found  the  apostles  and  other  friends  of  the  Lord  all 
gathered  together.  A  joyful  cry  greeted  them  as  they 
entered:  "  The  Lord  is  risen  indeed  !"  "He  has  appeared 
to  Simon  Peter,"  added  one,  and  others  told  of  all  they  knew. 
With  intense  interest  they  listened  to  Cleophas'  stoKy;  and 
as  they  talked,  and  while  those  who  had  not  seen  the  Risen 
Lord  longed  intensely  to  see  Him  too,  Jesus  Himself  stood 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  *  95 

in  the  midst  of  them,  saying:  "  Peace  be  unto  you."  But 
they  were  terrified  and  thought  that  they  saw  a  spirit, 
for  He  had  jmssed  through  closed  doors.  (Continue  in  the 
words  of  St.  Luke  xxiv.  38-43.) 

3.  The  Trial  of  St.  Thomas.— But  one  disciple,  St.  Thomas, 
was  not  with  them  when  Jesus  came.  St.  Thomas  was 
going  through  a  most  terrible  time.  He  was  one  of  those 
who  most  loved  the  Lord,  he  used  to  worry  lest  danger 
should  befall  Him,  and  he  puzzled  over  everything  He  said ; 
it  took  him  a  very  long  time  before  he  could  understand 
things.  Months  ago,  when  Lazarus  of  Bethany  was  ill 
and  the  Lord  was  preparing  to  go  to  him,  and  the  disciples 
reminded  Him  how  dangerous  it  was,  it  was  St.  Thomas  who 
said:  "Let  us  also  go  that  we  may  die  with  Him."  He 
thought  that  the  Lord  could  not  prevent  danger  coming, 
and  that  He  would  be  helpless  when  it  came.  He  had  no 
idea  Who  He  was. 

At  the  Last  Supper,  when  the  Lord  spoke  of  returning 
to  His  Father,  it  was  St.  Thomas  who  asked  for  an 
explanation:  "Lord,  we  know  not  whither  Thou  goest, 
and  how  can  we  know  the  way  ?"  but  he  could  not 
understand  the  Lord's  answer.  He  had  to  have  things 
made  very  clear  to  him  before  he  could  believe;  he  had 
to  see  things  for  himself;  he  could  not  take  anyone's  word 
for  it. 

(Let  the  class  now  think  out  how  St.  Thomas  would 
receive  the  stories  of  Christ's  Resurrection;  let  different 
children  recount  the  different  disciples'  experiences  from 
their  point  of  view,  and  imagine  St.  Thomas's  replies,  his 
sad  increduHty — e.g.,  the  accounts  of  St.  Mary  Magdalene, 
the  other  women,  SS.  Peter  and  John  at  the  empty 
tomb,  the  two  from  Emmaus,  and  finally  the  account  of 
the  appearance  in  the  upper  room.  Repeat  St.  Thomas's 
heartbroken  cry  at  missing  this  so  much  desired  proof 
(St.  John  XX.  25). 

4.  The  Revelation  to  St.  Thomas. — Use  the  words  of  St. 
John  XX.  26-29 ;  emphasise  the  last  sentence. 


96  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

Association. — Let  the  class  think  out  some  of  the  ex- 
amples among  the  Lord's  friends  of  misunderstanding 
and  unbelief  until  the  Lord  explained — e.g.,  St.  Mary  Magda- 
lene and  the  other  women,  Cleophas  and  his  companion, 
St.  Thomas — show  that  they  had  the  Bible  prophecies  and 
our  Lord's  own  words  to  help  them,  but  they  were  unable 
to  realise  the  fulfilment  of  prophecy  until  Christ  explained, 
and  showed  Himself  to  them. 

Application. — Repeat  St.  John  xx.  29.  Let  the  class 
think  to  whom  this  specially  applies — to  the  Church,  to  us 
Ask  them  to  think  what  it  means.  Explain  that  the  disci- 
ples had  the  Scriptures  (the  Old  Testament)  and  the 
words  of  Christ  (the  New  Testament)  to  teach  them  about 
God's  plan,  and  yet  they  could  not  understand  it  till  Christ 
Himself  explained  it  all  to  them.  Show  that  we  have  the 
Bible  too,  but  we  cannot  understand  it  unless  our  Lord 
explains.  Ask  how  He  explains  nowadays :  by  the  Church 
which  acts  for  Him — i.e.,  by  our  teachers,  bishops  and  priests 
and  those  v/ho  teach  for  them.  And  to  us  who  beHeve  what 
God  has  revealed  in  His  Church  our  Lord  promises  a  special 
blessing,  even  greater  than  the  blessing  given  to  those  who 
knew  Kim  when  on  earth.  Repeat  St.  John  xx.  29.  Tell 
that  those  who  have  the  Bible  ^mexplained  by  our  Lord 
are  still  unable  to  beheve  that  God's  promises  have  been 
fulfilled.     (Give  no  details  here.) 

Memory  Work. — "  Faith  is  a  supernatural  gift  of  God 
which  enables  us  to  beHeve,  without  doubting,  whatever 
God  has  revealed,  because  God  is  the  very  Truth,  and  can 
neither  deceive  nor  be  deceived.  I  am  to  know  what  God 
has  revealed  by  the  testimony,  teaching,  and  authority  of  the 
CathoHc  Church"  (Cat.  9,  10,  11). 

Expression  Work. — Print  and  illuminate  either  St. 
Thomas's  confession  of  faith,  or  "  Blessed  are  they  that  have 
not  seen  and  have  beHeved." 

Describe  one  of  our  Lord's  appearances  to  His  friends. 


THE  AP08TLE8'  OREED  07 

32.— Lesson  Subject :  To  Work  (St.  Peter). 

References.— St.  Matt.  xvi.  18,  19;  St.  Luke  xxii.  24-34; 
St.  John  xiii.  1-lG;  xxi.  1-17;  St.  Matt.  xxvi.  35. 

Apparatus. — A  picture  of  the  appearance  to  the  disciples 
by  the  Lake. 

Aim. — -To  show  how  our  Lord  trained  St.  Peter  to  work 
for  Him. 

Introduction. — Ask  the  class  what  profession  or  trade 
attracts  them  the  most;  get  several  children  to  name  one; 
then  get  them  to  name  a  leading  member  of  any  such  trade 
or  profession  (it  is  immaterial  whether  it  be  an  admiral  or 
a  local  carpenter),  and  draw  from  the  children  that  he 
only  attained  his  present  position  by  working  hard  and 
training  for  it.  Help  them  to  see  that  the  higher  the  work 
the  harder  the  training. 

Presentation  :  1.  St.  Peter  chosen. — Just  as  God  the 
Father  had  a  plan  which  our  Lord  carried  out,  so  our  Lord 
Himself  had  a  plan,  and  He  depended  on  His  disciples  to 
carry  it  out.  As  yet  they  did  not  know  what  it  was,  though 
He  had  been  preparing  them  for  it.  Now  when  a  band  of 
people  are  given  a  task  to  do  they  need  a  leader  (instance 
Girl  Guides,  Boy  Scouts,  etc.,  with  their  patrol  leaders); 
the  Lord  had  selected  the  twelve  Apostles  to  carry  out  His 
plan,  and  He  meant  to  make  one  of  them  their  leader. 
Which  should  it  be  ?  Our  Lord  watched  carefully  to  see 
who  was  most  suitable.  The  first  thing  about  a  leader  is 
that  he  must  be  trustworthy,  must  be  strong.  Ask  to 
which  disciple  Christ  gave  a  name  which  suggested  strength. 
Let  the  class  tell  the  story  of  St.  Peter's  call. 

A  leader  must  have  absolute  faith  in  his  commanding 
officer,  and  must  understand  his  wishes;  presently  St. 
Peter  showed  that  he  could  do  that — let  the  class  tell  the 
story  of  St.  Peter's  confession.  Our  Lord  had  chosen  St. 
Peter  for  the  leader  of  His  band,  but  He  had  to  train 
him. 

2.  St.  Peter  tested. — It  was  at  the  Last  Supper,  and  the 

7 


98  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

disciples  began  to  quarrel  among  themselves  as  to  which 
should  be  the  greater — the  Lord  had  told  them  that 
He  was  going  to  be  King  of  a  great  Kingdom,  and  each 
hoped  to  be  first  in  it.  The  Lord  at  once  taught  them  what 
He  thought  of  the  quarrel.  He  got  up,  poured  water  into 
a  basin,  wrapped  a  towel  round  Himself,  and  began  to 
wash  the  disciples'  dusty  feet — this  was  the  work  of  a 
slave;  as  folk  wore  sandals  and  no  stockings  the  feet  got 
tired  and  dusty.  The  Lord  came  to  Simon  Peter  (quote 
St.  John  xiii.  6-10).  Then,  while  the  disciples  sat  still, 
feeling  deeply  ashamed,  the  Lord  quietly  put  on  His  upper 
garment  which  He  had  removed,  and  sat  down  again 
(quote  verses  12-16);  "he  that  is  greater  among  you  let 
him  be  as  the  younger,  and  he  that  is  the  leader  as  he 
that  serveth,"  He  added.  Then  He  went  on  to  teU  them 
that  He  was  about  to  give  them  posts  of  honour  in  His 
kingdom. 

St.  Peter  knew  that  Christ  had  chosen  him  for  leader — 
perhaps  he  had  boasted  and  started  the  recent  quarrel — 
and  now  he  would  be  thinking  of  what  it  meant  to  he  a 
leader.  The  Lord  turned  to  him,  "  Simon,  Simon,"  He 
said  (notPe^er  now),  "Satan  is  planning  a  great  trial  for 
you  all,  which  will  test  your  love  for  Me,  but  I  have  prayed 
for  you,  specially  for  you,  Simon,  and  when  you  have  been 
through  the  trial  help  the  others  to  be  strong."  Here  was 
work  to  be  done  for  the  others,  which  he,  as  leader,  must 
do.  But  Peter  did  not  Hke  the  suggestion  that  he  was  in 
danger  of  being  untrue  to  his  Lord,  and  he  answered 
hastily :  "  Lord,  I  am  ready  to  go  with  Thee  both  into  prison 
and  to  death."  But  it  would  never  do  for  a  leader  to  be 
oversure  of  himself.  The  Lord  answered  gravely,  "  I  say 
to  thee,  Peter,  the  cock  shaU  not  crow  this  day  till  thou 
thrice  deniest  that  thou  knowest  Me."  "  Though  I  should 
die  with  Thee  I  will  not  deny  Thee,"  exclaimed  St.  Peter 
hotly,  and  all  the  disciples  said  the  same. 

Let  the  class  tell  the  sequel,  and  help  them  to  see  that  the 
fall  came  from  trusting  in  his  own  strength. 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  99 

3.  St.  Peter  commissioned.— The  disciples  stayed  in 
Jerusalem  for  a  week  after  Easter,  and  then  they  returned 
to  Galilee  to  meet  the  Lord  there,  as  He  had  commanded. 
They  had  been  told  to  wait,  but  the  waiting  was  weary  work, 
One  evening  St.  Peter  said,  "  I  go  a-fishing,"  and  Thomas 
and  Nathanael  and  James  and  John  and  two  others  went 
with  him.  They  fished  all  night  but  took  nothing.  The 
morning  dawned,  and  the  tired  men  looked  towards  the 
shore  and  saw  a  Man  standing  there;  they  did  not  know 
Who  it  was.  He  called  to  them,  "  Children,  have  you  any 
meat  ?"  "  No,"  they  called  back.  "  Cast  the  net  on  the 
right  side  of  the  ship,  and  you  shall  find, ' '  He  told  them ;  they 
did  as  He  had  said,  and  at  once  caught  a  great  haul  of 
fish,  so  great  that  they  could  not  pull  it  into  the  boat, 
"  It  is  the  Lord,"  exclaimed  St.  John.  Then  St.  Peter, 
who  was  stripped  for  work,  put  on  his  coat  and  sprang 
into  the  sea  and  swam  ashore — he  could  not  wait  a  moment 
—and  the  others  followed  in  the  boat  (it  was  but  a  little  way), 
dragging  the  laden  net.  As  soon  as  they  landed  they  saw 
a  fire  burning  on  the  shore,  and  fish  cooking  on  it,  and  bread 
beside  it.  "  Bring  of  the  fishes  which  you  have  now 
caught,"  said  the  Lord.  Peter  started  off  and  pulled  the 
net  ashore;  there  were  153  great  fish,  and  the  net  was  un- 
broken. "Come  to  breakfast,"  the  Lord  invited  them, 
and  He  waited  on  them  Himself. 

After  they  had  eaten  the  Lord  spoke  to  St.  Peter;  He 
had  a  lesson  to  teach  him.  "  Simon,"  He  said,  "  do  you 
think  now  that  you  love  Me  better  than  these  others  do  ?" 
St.  Peter  answered  humbly,  "  Lord,  Thou  knowest  that  I 
have  a  real  affection  for  Thee,  though  it  is  hardly  worthy  to 
be  called  love."  "  Then  feed  My  lambs,"  said  the  Lord. 
But  St.  Peter  had  denied  his  Master  more  than  once.  Again 
He  asked  him,  "  Simon,  lovest  thou  Me  ?"  And  St.  Peter 
answered,  "  I  do  love  Thee,  Lord,  though  my  love  is  so 
poor."  "  Feed  my  lambs,"  said  the  Lord.  Then  the  Lord 
asked  the  third  time,  "  Arc  you  sure  that  you  love  Me,  even 
poorly,  as  you  say  ?"     And  St.  Peter  answered,  very  humbly 


100  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

and  sadly,  "  Lord,  Thou  knowest  all  things,  Thou  knowest 
that  I  love  Thee."  "  Feed  and  tend  my  sheep  for  Me,"  said 
our  Lord,  "  I  give  the  flock  into  your  charge."  The  Lord 
had  trained  and  tested  him,  now  He  could  trust  him 
to  lead. 

Association. — Let  the  class  think  out  how  St.  Peter  first 
showed  himself  fit  to  be  a  leader  by  his  faith  ;  then  unfit  by 
pride  and  oversureness,  but  again  doubly  fitted  by  repent- 
ance and  humility  (use  simple  language).  Let  them  recall 
to  mind  that  Christ  said  that  He  was  going  away,  explain 
that  St.  Peter,  as  leader,  was  now  to  take  His  place  and 
act  for  Him.  Tell  how  St.  Peter's  successors  have  ever 
since  acted  for  our  Lord  in  the  same  way,  and  fed  His  sheep. 
Ask  for  the  name  of  the  present  Pope. 

Application. — Lead  the  class  to  make  a  resolution  to 
pray  for  the  Pope,  when  and  how  the  teacher  sees  fit. 

Memory  Work. — Cat.  9L 

Expression  Work. — Draw  a  symboHc  picture  of  St.  Peter 
as  a  shepherd  with  his  fiock,  or  as  a  rock,  bearing  a  light- 
house (the  Church). 

Make  a  list  of  the  reasons  why  St.  Peter  was  chosen  as 
leader. 

Write  an  account  of  the  scene  by  the  Lake. 

33.— Lesson  Subject :  To  Wait  (St.  John). 

References.  — St.  John  xxi.  19-23;  Apoc.  i.  9-20;  Phil, 
i.  23. 

Apparatus. — A  map  showing  Ephesus  and  Patmos. 

Aim. — To  show  how  St.  John  was  taught  to  wait,  and  in 
so  doing  became  an  example  to  future  Christians. 

Introduction. — A  few  questions  on  the  last  lesson,  dealing 
with  our  Lord's  commands  to  St.  Peter. 

Presentation  :  1.  St.  John  told  to  wait. — As  our  Lord 
finished  His  commands  to  St.  Peter,  "  Follow  Me,"  He 
said.  St.  Peter  looked  round  and  saw  St.  John  following. 
"  Lord,  and  what  shall  this  man  do  ?"  he  asked.  But  the 
Lord  explained  that  that  was  none  of  his  business.     "  If 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  101 

I  will  that  he  wait  till  I  come,  what  is  that  to  thee  ?  follow 
thou  Me,"  He  answered. 

St.  John  must  have  treasured  those  words,  and  wondered 
again  and  again  what  they  meant.  The  disciples  thought 
that  they  meant  that  St.  John  would  not  die,  but  be  still 
alive  when  our  Lord  should  come  at  the  Last  Day,  or 
perhaj)s  be  taken  up  to  heaven  as  was  Elias.  But  St. 
John  himself  never  thought  this,  he  just  took  the  words 
as  they  stood  and  pondered  over  them:  "  If  I  will  that  he 
tarry  till  I  come,  what  is  that  to  thee  V 

2.  St.  John  helpffed  to  wait. — Let  the  class  discuss  how 
hard  it  is  to  wait,  especially  when  you  see  all  your  friends 
getting  what  you  most  want.  Ask  what  the  disciples 
most  desired  after  the  Lord  had  left  them  and  gone 
to  prepare  a  place  for  them  in  heaven.  Let  them  find 
Phil.  i.  23. 

One  after  another  St.  John  saw  all  his  friends  go  to  join 
the  Lord  Jesus  in  heaven.  Very  soon  his  brother  James 
was  killed,  and  one  by  one  the  rest  of  the  Apostles  were 
mart}Ted,  but  St.  John  was  left  alone.  He  must  have 
longed  to  die  for  his  Lord  too,  but  he  knew  that  it  was  his 
duty  to  wait  patiently,  and  to  help  the  Christians  around 
him.  For  about  twenty-five  or  thirty  years  St.  John 
lived  on  after  the  other  Apostles  had  been  slain,  and  then 
another  cruel  Roman  Emperor,  Domitian,  began  to  perse- 
cute the  Christians.  He  seized  St.  John,  but  did  not  kill 
him;  instead  he  sent  him  to  a  Httle  lonely  island  and  kept 
him  there,  a  prisoner.  (Draw  rough  sketch  of  a  rocky 
island  on  B.B.)  Imagine  it:  all  alone  on  an  island,  very 
lonely,  growing  very  old;  but  to  wait  in  patience  was  the 
work  given  to  the  apostle  who  most  loved  our  Lord. 

But  comfort  was  at  hand.  It  was  a  Sunday  morning. 
St.  John  was  praying;  he  had  probably  just  said  Mass, 
which  brings  heaven  down  to  earth,  now  he  himself  seemed 
to  be  caught  up  into  heaven.  He  heard  the  sound  of  a 
clear  ringing  voice,  like  a  trumpet-call,  saying,  "  What 
thou  seest  write  in  a  book  and  send  to  the  seven  churches." 


102  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

He  turned  at  the  voice  of  the  angel  and  saw  a  dazzHng 
vision.  In  the  midst  of  seven  golden  candlesticks,  all 
aflame,  stood  the  Lord  Jesus.  He  was  dressed  in  a  long 
white  robe,  girt  with  a  golden  girdle;  a  wonderful  white 
Hght  shone  round  about  Him,  and  His  eyes  were  as  a  flame 
of  fire,  and  His  voice  as  the  sound  of  many  waters.  He 
had  in  His  right  hand  seven  stars,  and  His  countenance 
was  hke  the  noonday  sun.  When  St.  John  saw  Him  he  fell 
at  His  feet  in  fear  and  awe.  Then  the  Lord  Jesus  came 
to  him  and  laid  His  right  hand  on  him  and  said :  "  Fear  not. 
I  am  the  First  and  the  Last,  and  alive,  and  was  dead,  and 
behold  I  am  living  for  ever  and  ever  and  have  the  keys  of 
death  and  of  hell."  Then  the  Lord  told  him  that  He  had 
a  work  for  him  to  do:  He  was  about  to  show  him  many 
wonderful  things,  and  he  must  write  all  these  things  in  a 
book,  that  it  might  help  and  teach  all  Christians. 

3.  St.  John's  Work  while  he  waited.— St.  John  wrote 
down  all  the  marvellous  things  which  our  Lord  told  him 
and  showed  him;  we  have  this  book  still  (let  the  class 
find  it). 

Not  long  after  that  wonderful  Sunday  St.  John  was 
released  from  imprisonment,  for  Domitian  was  killed,  and 
all  those  whom  he  had  banished  were  recalled.  St.  John 
went  to  live  at  Ephesus,  a  seaport  town  not  far  from  the 
Island  of  Patmos  (show  on  map).  He  had  lived  here 
before  and  there  must  have  been  great  rejoicing  among 
all  those  who  knew  him.  But  his  waiting  was  not  ended 
yet;  he  lived  a  few  more  years,  and  became  Bishop  of 
Ephesus.  It  is  thought  that  he  wrote  the  Apocalypse 
here,  perhaps  he  had  not  writing  materials  on  his  island. 
He  also  wrote  his  Gospel  and  three  letters  or  Epistles. 
(Let  the  class  find  these  books  in  their  Bibles.) 

Besides  writing  books  to  help  the  Lord's  people,  St.  John 
travelled  all  round  to  the  neighbouring  Christians  to  comfort 
them  in  their  troubles  and  to  help  them.  In  one  town  he 
saw  a  young  man  who  he  felt  should  be  trained  for  God's 
service.     St.  John  took  him  to  the  Bishop  and  said:  "  Take 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  103 

care  of  this  young  man,  train  him  carefully,  and  he  will  be  a 
worthy  servant  of  God."  The  Bishop  taught  him,  baptized 
him  and  confirmed  him,  but  then  did  little  or  nothing  more 
for  him ;  and  the  young  man  forgot  his  Christian  teaching, 
got  among  bad  companions,  and  became  captain  of  a  band 
of  robbers.  When  St.  John  came  again  to  that  place  he 
went  to  the  Bishop  and  asked:  "  Where  is  he  whom  Christ 
and  I  left  in  your  charge  ?"  "  Alas,  he  is  dead,"  replied 
the  Bishop.  "  Dead  ?  of  what  did  he  die  ?  where  is  his 
grave  ?"  demanded  St.  John.  "  He  is  dead  to  God," 
explained  the  Bishop,  and  confessed  that  he  did  not  know 
where  the  young  man  was,  for  he  was  the  captain  of  a  band 
of  robbers  which  kept  the  whole  country  in  terror.  "I 
left  a  fine  keeper  of  a  brother's  soul;  but  get  me  a  horse  and 
a  guide,"  said  St.  John,  and  old  and  frail  as  he  was  he  set 
out  for  the  robbers'  haunts.  Presently  the  robber  scouts 
met  him,  took  him  prisoner,  and  brought  him  to  their 
captain;  the  captain  at  once  recognised  him  and  tried  to 
get  away,  but  St.  John  followed  him,  crying:  "  Why  dost 
thou  fly,  my  son,  from  me  thy  father,  thy  defenceless,  aged 
father  ?"  But  the  young  robber  was  bitterly  ashamed, 
and  held  his  right  hand  behind  him,  because  of  all  the 
wicked  things  it  had  done;  then  St.  John  seized  his  hand 
and  kissed  it,  assuring  him  that  God  would  forgive  him  all 
his  sins;  and  the  young  man  broke  down,  sobbing  terribly, 
and  threw  up  his  wicked  life,  and  went  back  with  the  Saint. 

4.  St.  John's  waiting  ended. — St.  John  lived  to  be  about 
a  hundred  years  old.  At  the  last  he  was  so  weak  that  he 
had  to  be  carried  to  church,  he  was  too  feeble  to  preach 
long  sermons,  and  so  he  used  to  say,  over  and  over  again, 
"  Little  children,  love  one  another."  Some  of  the  people 
got  tired  of  hearing  him  say  this  so  often,  and  said  to  him : 
"  Why  do  you  say  this  and  nothing  else  ?"  St.  John 
rephed,  "  Because  it  is  the  Lord's  commandment,  and  if 
this  be  done  it  is  enough." 

At  last  the  apostle  had  his  reward,  and  the  Lord  called 
him  from  his  long  waiting  to  be  for  ever  with  Him. 


104  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

St.  John's  symbol  is  an  eagle,  because  it  is  said  to  be  the 
only  bird  which  can  look  straight  into  the  eye  of  the  sun; 
ask  the  class  in  what  way  this  resembles  St.  John  (help  them 
to  see  if  they  need  help). 

Association. — Let  the  class  think  of  the  way  in  which 
St.  John  waited,  in  patience,  with  pra3^er  and  work  for 
others.  Show  that  this  command  to  wait  is  for  us  all,  and 
that  St.  John  has  shown  us  the  way  in  which  to  wait. 

Application. — Help  the  class  to  make  some  practical 
resolution  with  regard  to  their  prayers  and  work  for  others. 

Memory  Work. — ^Cat.  135. 

Expression  Work. — Make  a  list  of  St.  John's  books. 

Describe  how  St.  John  waited. 

Write  the  story  of  the  robber  captain  from  his  point  of 
view. 

Draw  an  eagle  flying  towards  the  sun. 

34. — Lesson  Subject :  To  Teach  (Missionary  Lesson). 

References.— St.  Matt,  xxviii.  19,  20;  St.  John  xiv.  2,  3. 

Apparatus. — A  large  map  of  the  ©astern  hemisphere. 

Aim. — To  explain  our  Lord's  last  command,  and  to 
inspire  the  class  with  a  desire  to  obey  it. 

Note  to  the  Teacher.— In  the  section  on  the  Apostles' 
missionary  labours  simply  give  a  wide  view  of  them  as  a 
whole,  to  show  how  they  carried  out  our  Lord's  command; 
no  attempt  should  be  made  to  get  the  children  to  remember 
the  activities  of  each,  merely  enumerate  them,  pointing  out 
each  spliere  of  work  on  the  map,  or  better  still,  let  the  class 
in  turn  do  so.  The  story  of  the  patchwork  quilt  was  told 
to  the  writer  as  true. 

Introductory  Presentation. — A  poor  widow  with  her  six 
children  lived  in  a  little  cottage  in  a  wood.  One  sunny 
morning  she  was  verj^  busy,  washing  and  scrubbing  and 
cooking,  the  three  elder  children  helping  her,  while  the 
younger  ones,  too  small  to  help,  had  gone  off  to  the  woods 
for  the  day  to  gather  blackberries ;  the}^  had  some  crusts  of 
bread  with  them,  and  would  not  come  home  till  night. 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  105 

Suddenly  a  carriage  drove  up  to  the  cottage  gate,  and  a 
lady  got  out  and  came  down  the  path ;  they  knew  her  welL 
she  lived  at  a  large  house  some  miles  away  and  often  visited 
them  and  brought  them  presents.  "  I  want  you  and  all  the 
children  to  come  to  a  party  at  my  house  this  afternoon," 
she  said  to  the  mother.  "  It  will  be  a  large  party,  there 
will  be  lots  of  children  there,  and  swings,  and  all  sorts  of 
games.  I  want  you  to  come  home  Avith  me  now  and 
choose  party  dresses  for  the  children,  I  have  a  lot  at  my 
house,  but  you  know  their  sizes  and  I  do  not.  I  will  send 
you  back  in  the  carriage  this  afternoon  to  fetch  the  children ; 
let  them  be  ready  by  three  o'clock." 

Then  the  mother  called  the  three  elder  children  to  her  and 
said:  "  I  must  go  away  at  once  with  this  lady  to  get  nice 
dresses  for  you  all,  so  that  you  can  go  to  the  party,  for  you 
cannot  go  in  the  old  ragged  clothes  which  you  are  wearing, 
and  you  have  nothing  else.  I  shall  be  back  at  three  o'clock 
to  fetch  you,  and  I  look  to  you  to  call  in  the  little  ones 
and  wash  them  and  tell  them  about  the  party.  Be  sure 
you  go  at  once  and  find  them."  Then  the  mother  drove 
away. 

Discuss  what  the  elder  children  would  now  do.  The 
little  ones  could  only  hear  of  the  party  if  they  were  found 
and  told  about  it,  and  they  must  be  brought  home  and 
washed  and  brushed  if  they  were  to  be  ready  for  the  nice 
clothes  when  they  came.  If  the  elder  children  would  not 
go  to  find  them  they  would  have  only  dry  crusts  to  eat, 
and  remain  in  their  old  ragged  clothes,  and  miss  the  part3^ 
Ask  what  the  mother  Avould  think  of  the  elder  ones  if  they 
acted  thus,  if  they  said  that  it  was  too  much  trouble  to 
find  the  younger  ones.  Show  that  in  such  a  case  they  would 
love  neither  their  mothei  nor  the  little  ones. 

On  the  other  hand,  point  out  that  it  would  probably  be 
best  for  one  of  the  elder  ones  to  stay  at  home  and  prepare 
hot  water,  etc.,  and  that  in  so  doing  she  would  be  helping 
the  younger  ones  quite  as  much  as  if  she  went  to  look  for 
them.     Suggest    that    the    strongest    children    would    be 


106  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

chosen  to  go  into  the  wood  in  search.  (Let  the  class  suggest 
as  much  as  possible  of  the  above.)  Briefly  picture  the  joy  of 
the  Uttle  ones  when  found  and  told,  and  the  pleasure  of  the 
mother  when  she  returned  and  found  them  all  ready  for  her. 

Presentation  :  1.  Christ's  Last  Command.— Recall  to  the 
class  the  talk  which  our  Lord  had  with  His  disciples  on 
the  night  of  Holy  Thursday,  and  how  He  told  them  that  He 
was  going  away,  and  why.  Let  them  find  and  read 
St.  John  xiv.  2,  3,  and  note  that  it  was  very  like  the  reason 
which  the  mother  gave  in  the  story.  Tell  how,  just  before 
He  ascended  into  heaven,  the  Lord  gave  to  all  His  disciples 
a  last  command  very  like  that  which  the  mother  in  the  story 
gave  to  her  eldest  children.  Find  and  read  St.  Matt,  xxviii. 
18-20.  Help  the  class  to  see  the  analogy — i.e.,  the  heathen 
nations  are  like  the  younger  children,  the  disciples  and  all 
Christians  Uke  the  elder  ones.  Let  the  children  trace  all 
the  similarities. 

2.  How  the  Apostles  obeyed  the  Command. — Ask  what  the 
Apostles  would  do  when  they  received  this  command. 
Tell  of  the  tradition  that  they  divided  the  world  between 
them.  Put  up  a  large  map  of  the  eastern  hemisphere, 
explaining  that  this  was  then  the  only  known  world.  Let 
the  class  say  the  names  of  the  different  Apostles,  and  the 
teacher  tell  the  traditional  place  of  work.     E.g. — 

St.  Peter  became  Bishop  of  Syrian  Antioch,  made 
missionary  journeys  to  Pontus  and  Bithynia,  became  Bishop 
of  Home  and  was  martyred  there. 

St.  John,  thought  to  have  visited  Rome,  after  his 
imprisonment  on  Patmos  lived  and  taught  at  Ephesus  and 
in  the  neighbourhood. 

St.  Matthew,  said  to  have  visited  Ethiopia,  and  there  been 
slain  with  the  sword. 

St.  Thomas,  said  to  have  gone  to  India,  and  there  met 
martyrdom. 

St.  PhiUp,  said  to  have  preached  in  Asia  and  Scythia  for 
many  years,  and  at  last  was  martyred  at  Hierapohs  in 
Phrygia  in  his  extreme  old  age. 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  107 

St.  James,  the  brother  of  John,  said  to  have  preached  in 
Spain,  and  to  have  been  the  first  of  the  disciples  to  go  on  a 
missionary  jom'ney. 

St.  Andrew,  said  to  have  preached  in  Scythia  or  in  Achaia 
where  he  met  mart}Tdom.     His  rehcs  are  said  to  have  been 
carried  to  Scotland  by  St.  Regulus,  and  deposited  where 
the  town  of  St.  Andrews  now  stands. 

St.  Bartholomew,  said  to  have  preached  in  India  and  been 
mart3rred  there. 

St.  Simon  Zelotes,  said  to  have  preached  in  Edessa  and 
died  a  natural  death,  or  according  to  another  tradition  to 
have  preached  in  Persia  and  been  martyred. 

Ask  the  class  if  this  command  to  teach  all  nations  is 
binding  on  us  too,  and  if  so  how  we  can  obey  it.  Show  that 
all  are  not  called  to  go  out  to  foreign  lands  (though  we  must 
be  ready  to  go  if  called),  but  all  are  called  to  help  in  the 
work ;  instance  the  child  who  stayed  at  home  to  prepare  for 
the  others.  If  we  wish  to  help,  God  will  show  us  how  and 
will  make  use  of  our  efforts. 

Illustration  :  One  who  obeyed  Christ's  Command. — There 
was  once  a  very  poor  old  woman,  and  she  lived  in  a  little 
cottage.  It  was  a  bare  little  place,  with  nothing  pretty  in 
it  except  the  geranium  in  the  window  and  the  bright  patch- 
work quilt  on  the  bed.  That  patchwork  quilt  was  the  old 
lady's  pride  and  joy.  She  had  made  it  herself  when  a  girl, 
and  it  had  taken  the  prize  for  needlework  at  the  village  fair. 
She  was  never  tired  of  looking  at  the  bits  of  bright  silk, 
remembering  who  had  given  them  to  her,  and  wondering 
how  she  ever  could  have  seen  to  set  all  those  little  stitches  ! 
One  Sunday  evening  the  old  lady  went  to  church  as 
usual,  and  there  she  heard  a  splendid  sermon  about  how 
Christ  wants  everybody  to  teach  the  poor  heathen  people 
about  Him.  ' '  If  you  cannot  go  yourself, ' '  said  the  preacher, 
"  you  can  help  to  send  others,  you  can  give  something  that 
is  very  precious  to  you.  How  can  you  keep  it  for  yourself 
if  the  Master  wants  it  ?  What  will  He  think  of  you  at  the 
Last  Day  if  you  have  not  helped  on  His  work  ?" 


108  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

The  old  lady  went  home  feeUng  very  sad,  for  she  had 
nothing  to  give.  She  had  only  just  enough  money  to  buy 
food  for  herself,  and  not  really  enough  for  that.  She  would 
often  have  been  hungry  had  not  kind  neighbours  brought 
her  things  sometimes.  She  could  not  give  her  geranium, 
it  would  be  of  no  use,  and  no  one  would  buy  it  so  that  she 
could  give  the  money.  But  there  was  the  patchwork  quilt ! 
She  made  up  her  mind  to  give  that.  Perhaps  it  would  help 
to  keep  some  missionary  warm,  an^^^how  it  was  all  she  had, 
and  God  could  use  it  if  He  wished.  So  she  packed  up  her 
quilt,  and  perhaps  a  few  tears  fell  on  it  as  she  did  so.  A 
friend  addressed  it  and  took  it  to  the  post,  and  as  she  did 
so  she  thought,  "  Poor  old  lady,  it  is  very  good  of  her,  of 
course,  but  a  thing  like  this  is  of  no  use." 

The  patchwork  quilt  went  up  to  a  place  in  London  where 
clothes  were  collected  for  missionaries  to  take  out  to  the 
heathen.  Presently  a  large  parcel  of  them  was  packed 
up  to  go  to  Africa,  bright  coloured  clothes  for  the  little 
black  boys  and  girls  to  wear  when  they  became  Christians. 
The  quilt  was  put  in  with  them,  perhaps  by  a  careless 
packer  who  did  not  notice  what  it  was. 

Weeks  later  a  missionary  in  the  heart  of  Africa  opened 
the  parcel.  He  laughed  when  he-  saw  the  patchwork 
quilt,  not  knowing  its  history,  and  put  it  on  his  bed,  as  there 
was  no  other  use  for  it.  But  his  face  soon  leoked  grave 
again,  for  he  was  in  great  difficulty.  He  wanted  to  buy  a 
piece  of  land  in  order  to  build  a  church  on  it,  but  the  chief 
who  owned  the  land  would  not  sell  any  of  it.  He  offered 
money,  he  offered  cows,  he  offered  beads  and  knives  and 
rolls  of  cloth,  but  the  chief  refused  them  all,  saying  that 
his  land  was  more  valuable  than  any  of  these,  and  that  he 
did  not  want  it  spoiled  by  a  Christian  church. 

A  day  or  two  after  the  arrival  of  the  parcel  from  England, 
the  chief  came  in  to  see  the  missionary ;  again  he  tried  to 
persuade  him  to  sell  a  piece  of  land,  he  showed  him  all  the 
best  of  the  things  which  he  had  just  received,  but  the  chief 
refused  as  usual.     Presently,  however,  his  eye  wandered 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  109 

round  the  room  and  became  fixed  on  something  within  the 
half-open  door  of  the  missionary's  bedroom.  Then  he  got 
up  and  stood  by  the  door,  gazing  eagerly  within.  "  O 
white  man,"  he  said,  "  I  will  take  that  handsome  cloak 
which  is  spread  out  upon  thy  couch  in  exchange  for  my 
land,  for  never  have  mine  eyes  beheld  its  Uke.  It  is  indeed 
most  beauteous,  surely  all  the  colours  of  the  mists  of 
morning  meet  in  its  folds." 

Then  the  missionary  was  ovei^'oyed,  and  gladly  gave  the 
patchwork  quilt  in  exchange  for  the  land  whereon  to  build 
the  first  church  in  that  place. 

Application. — Lead  the  class  to  form  a  resolution  to  help 
Foreign  Missions  in  some  way. 

Memory  Work.— Cat.  12. 

Expression  Work. — -Write  one  or  more  of  the  stories. 

Draw  the  story  of  the  patchwork  quilt. 

Print  St.  Matt,  xxviii.  19. 

ARTICLE  VI. 
"  He  ascended  .  .  .  Almighty." 
Aim. — To  show  that  Christ  ascended  into  heaven,  there 
to  continue  His  work  for  man. 

Teacher's  Thought. — "  Thou  hast  ascended  on  high  and 
hast  led  captivity  captive"  (Ps.  Ixvii.  19). 

35.— Lesson  Subject :  Christ's  Ascension  into  Heaven. 

References. — Gen.  ii.  7-10;  iii.  1-24;  St.  Luke  xxiv.  1-10, 
50-53;  Acts  i.  Ml. 

Apparatus. — A  picture  of  the  Ascension. 

Aim. — To  show  that  the  Ascension  completed  Christ's 
work  on  earth,  which  restored  man  to  that  state  of  com- 
munion with  God  which  was  his  before  the  Fall. 

Note  to  the  Teacher. — This  lesson  is  largely  a  review,  or 
association  of  ideas,  therefore  let  the  class  build  it  up  as  far 
as  they  can,  keeping  it  along  the  lines  suggested.  See  the 
Dreayn  of  Geronfms  for  an  illustration  of  the  consuming 
fire  of  hoHness. 


110  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

Introduction. — Talk  of  gardens  or  woods,  etc.  Let  the 
children  describe  their  favourite  place,  or  any  local  resort; 
discuss  a  holiday  there,  leading  the  children  to  tell  what 
they  like  best  to  do,  and  to  see  that  the  companionship  of 
friends  makes  the  place  more  beautiful  and  enjoyable. 

Presentation  :  1.  God  walks  on  Earth  with  Man. — There 
is  a  very  good  reason  why  we  all  love  gardens ;  it  is  because 
God  meant  us  all  to  live  in  a  lovely  garden  always.  He 
made  the  most  beautiful  garden  there  ever  could  be  before 
He  made  man  at  all,  so  that  when  man  was  made  there  was 
the  garden  all  ready  for  him.  (Ask  the  name.)  But  we 
have  seen  that  half  the  joy  of  a  garden  is  in  the  friends 
who  are  with  us  there,  and  just  as  Eden  was  the  most  perfect 
garden,  so  Adam  and  Eve  had  the  most  perfect  Friend, 
Who  came  and  walked  with  them  in  the  cool  of  the  even- 
ing. God  Himself  was  their  Friend,  and  in  those  happy 
days,  before  sin  spoilt  things,  heaven  and  earth  were  joined 
as  it  were  by  a  bridge,  and  God  and  the  holy  angels  crossed 
to  and  fro.  (Draw  on  the  B.B.  a  bridge  spanning  a  space, 
with  a  spot  marked  heaven  on  one  side,  and  one  marked 
earth  on  the  other.) 

2.  God  and  Man  Estranged. — But  there  came  a  day  when 
Adam  and  Eve  fled  away  when  God  came  down  to  walk  in 
the  garden  with  them.  (Let  the  class  tell  briefly  the  story 
of  the  Fall. )  Explain  that  the  sin  in  man  made  it  impossible 
for  him  to  live  in  the  presence  of  God,  and  so  in  very  kind- 
ness God  kept  him  at  a  distance,  lest  he  should  perish. 
Illustrate  thus:  we  warm  ourselves  by  the  fire,  to  our 
comfort,  but  if  we  had  upset  petrol  on  our  clothing  and 
then  went  near  the  flame,  we  should  be  burnt  to  death. 
In  the  same  way  the  hoUness  of  God  consumes  sin,  and  the 
unrepentant  sinner  cannot  exist  in  His  presence.  (Wipe 
out  the  bridge.)  Let  the  class  recall,  or  find  and  read,  the 
promise  in  Gen.  iii.  15. 

3.  God  and  Man  at  One  Again. — From  that  time  onward, 
as  we  have  seen,  all  men  looked  forvvard  to  the  coming  of 
the  Saviour,  Who  should  restore  the  happiness  of  the  world. 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  111 

Let  the  class  teU  how  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the  Saviour- 
King,  came  to  earth,  lived  among  men  as  their  Friend,  died 
to  make  them  at  one  with  God,  and  rose  from  the  dead  and 
walked  with  His  friends  again  as  God  walked  of  old  in 
Eden,  before  sin  broke  down  the  bridge.  (Replace  the 
bridge  on  B.B.,  drawing  it  larger  and  stronger  this  time.) 

4.  Man  ascends  into  Heaven  to  God. — Now  we  have  seen 
God  coming  down  to  man,  the  bridge  broken  by  sin,  the 
bridge  rebuilt  by  our  Lord  so  that  God  again  walks  with 
man,  but  now  there  is  something  even  more  glorious  still 
to  see.  All  this,  as  far  as  we  have  gone,  the  disciples  knew. 
They  were  ready  for  the  next  great  lesson. 

About  six  weeks  after  Easter  Day  the  disciples  were 
back  in  Jerusalem  by  the  Lord's  command.  He  came  to 
them  there,  and  led  them  out  into  the  country,  on  the  way 
to  Bethany.  They  walked  about  three-quarters  of  a  mile 
along  the  pleasant  country  roads,  and  then  went  up  a  little 
hill,  Mount  Olivet,  where  they  had  often  been  with  Him 
before.  There  He  stood  and  talked  with  them  for  awhile, 
and  gave  them  directions  for  their  future  work.  They  were 
to  carry  on  His  work;  He  had  already  explained  to  them 
how  they  were  to  do  it  and  promised  them  help,  now  He 
explained  a  little  further:  "  You  shall  receive  the  power  of 
the  Holy  Ghost  coming  upon  you,"  He  told  them,  "and 
you  shall  be  witnesses  unto  Me,  act  for  Me,  represent  Me, 
in  Jerusalem  .  .  .  and  even  to  the  uttermost  part  of  the 
earth."  They  stood  Ustening  eagerly,  and  He  held  up  His 
hands  to  bless  them,  and  as  He  blessed  them  He  was  taken 
up  from  the  earth  and  a  cloud  received  Him  out  of  their 
sight.  He  had  ascended  into  heaven,  to  sit  down  at  the 
right  hand  of  God  the  Father,  in  the  place  of  honour. 
But  the  disciples  stood  gazing  upwards,  filled  with  awe  and 
joy,  trying  to  understand.  Then  two  bright  angels  sud- 
denly stood  by  them,  and  said:  "Ye  men  of  GaUlee,  why 
stand  you  looking  up  to  heaven  ?  This  Jesus  Who  is 
taken  up  from  you  into  heaven,  shall  so  come  as  you  have 
seen  Him  going  into  heaven." 


112  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

Then  the  disciples  understood  that  they  must  go  and 
prepare  the  way  before  Him  that  the  world  might  be  ready 
for  Him  on  His  return.  And  they  worshipped  Him,  and 
returned  to  Jerusalem  with  great  joy,  and  went  often  to  the 
Temple  to  thanli  God  for  having  fulfilled  His  promise  in 
such  a  wonderful  way.  For  now  the  bridge  was  indeed 
rebuilt,  of  double  strength ;  now  not  only  had  God  descended 
to  earth,  but  man  had  ascended  to  God,  for  the  Lord  Jesus 
is  as  truly  man  as  He  is  truly  God.  If  the  Lord  Jesus  as 
man  has  ascended  into  heaven,  what  may  not  we  men 
also  hope  for  ourselves  ?  Read  St.  John  xiv.  2-4,  and  see 
what  the  Ascension  meant  for  the  disciples,  and  means 
for  us  also. 

Association. — Let  the  class  recapitulate  the  points  of 
the  lesson,  and  build  up  a  B.B.  summary  as  they  give  them. 

Memory  Work.— Cat.  68,  69. 

Expression  Work. — Print  "  He  ascended  into  heaven,"  or 
write  "  How  the  bridge  was  broken  and  rebuilt,"  or  de- 
scribe the  Ascension. 

36.— Lesson  Subject :  Christ's  Work  in  Heaven  for 
His  Friends  on  Earth. 

Reference. — Heb.  ii.  9-18. 

Apparatus. — Several  pictures  of  warfare  on  the  Western 
Front  in  the  Great  War. 

Aim. — To  show  that  Christ  in  heaven  is  still  working 
for  His  people  and  caring  for  them. 

Introduction. — Put  up  one  or  two  pictures  of  the  Great 
War  and  let  the  class  discuss  them,  teUing  all  they  know 
of  the  conditions  of  modern  warfare. 

Presentation :  1.  The  Earthly  Army  and  its  Commander. — 
Picture  the  battlefields  of  France  and  Belgium,  the  front 
row  of  trenches  over  which  the  shells  continually  burst, 
the  reserves  in  ruined  villages  farther  back,  waiting  their 
turn  to  go  up  to  the  front  line,  the  daily  life  of  the 
soldiers  with  its  continual  hardship,  the  military  operations, 
attacking  the  enemy's  lines,  repelling  their  attacks,  bomb- 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  113 

throwing,  charging  with  the  bayonet,  scouting  in  aircraft, 
firing  heavy  cannon  with  marvellous  accuracy,  undermining 
the  enemy  trenches,  etc.,  etc.;  and  the  domestic  work? 
cooking,  tending  horses,  etc. — explain,  or  let  the  class  tell, 
that  every  gi'oup  of  men  is  under  an  officer,  and  he  again 
under  a  superior  in  rank,  and  so  on  upwards  to  the  Comman- 
der-in-Chief. Ask  the  class  for  the  name  of  the  great  man 
who  finally  commanded  the  united  armies  and  won  the  war. 

Explain  that  when  a  big  battle  is  in  progress  the  Com- 
mander-in-Chief directs  operations  from  a  quiet  place  out 
of  the  range  of  the  guns.  Tell  how  he  is  in  communica- 
tion by  telephone  with  all  parts  of  the  field,  and  thus  can 
help  all  the  officers  and  men  in  their  varied  difficulties, 
and  can  send  one  regiment  to  the  help  of  another  when 
necessary,  and  is  equally  accessible  (by  telephone  or  mes- 
senger) to  all. 

Let  the  class  discuss  whether  it  is  better  for  the  Com- 
mander-in-Chief to  sit  thus  apart  from  the  battle,  or  to  fight 
among  the  men  in  the  trenches.  Lead  them  to  see  that 
he  can  help  all  by  keeping  apart  from  all.  Let  them  think 
out  how  a  General  learns  to  help  his  army — by  first  learning 
all  his  work  himself,  step  by  step,  entering  first  as  a  young 
officer,  or  even  as  a  private  soldier,  and  working  his  way 
up;  undergoing  all  the  hardships  of  war,  in  battle  after 
battle,  until  his  great  experience  is  needed  for  the  command 
of  others. 

2.  The  Heavenly  Army  and  its  Commander. — Ask  the  class 
how  long  the  Great  War  lasted.  Say  that  there  has  been  a 
Greater  War  going  on  for  nearly  2,000  years,  and  it  is 
not  over  yet.  We  have  seen  the  great  Commander-in-Chief 
making  His  plans,  organising  His  army  and  training  His 
officers,  after  He  had  first  fought  with  the  enemy  Himself, 
and  undergone  all  the  worst  hardships  of  war.  It  is  as  if 
the  two  captains  of  the  opposing  army  first  fought  together 
in  deadly  conflict,  and  our  Captain  was  victorious,  but  then 
the  devil  gathered  his  followers  together  and  prepared  to 
fight  a  long  and  bitter  war  against  the  followers  of  the  Lord. 

8 


114  I'AITH  AND  DUTY 

Then,  having  learned  the  enemy's  tactics  at  first  hand,  and 
trained  His  officers  carefully,  the  Lord  Jesus,  as  Commander- 
in-Chief,  withdrew  from  the  battlefield  to  a  place  where  He 
could  be  in  touch  with  all  parts  of  His  army  at  once.  (Ask 
the  class  when  and  where.) 
•    Draw  the  following  comparisons  from  the  class : 

The  army — all  Christians  in  a  state  of  grace  (deserters — 
those  in  mortal  sin,  who  have  thus  gone  over  to  the  enemy's 
camp).  The  officers — the  Pope,  bishops,  and  priests,  suc- 
cessors of  the  Apostles.  The  Commander-in-Chief — the 
Lord  Jesus,  sitting  at  the  right  hand  of  God,  in  the  place  of 
honour  in  heaven.  The  telephone — prayer.  The  needs 
of  the  army — food,  help,  direction,  care  of  the  wounded. 
The  aim  of  the  army — to  fight  the  enemy  and  conquer  him, 
and  so  win  eternal  peace  and  happiness  in  the  presence  of 
the  Lord. 

But  there  is  one  way  in  which  our  Commander-in-Chief 
is  quite  unlike  great  earthly  Generals;  they  are  busy  men, 
living  apart  from  their  armies,  surrounded  by  their  staffs, 
and  seldom  seen  by  the  common  soldiers — but  our  General 
can  be  approached  at  any  hour  by  any  one  of  His  common 
soldiers  in  His  very  tent  itself,  where  He  waits  for  them 
in  the  Tabernacle  on  the  Altar. 

Memory  Work.— Cat.  70  and  46. 

Expression  Work. — Compare  the  earthly  army  with  the 
heavenly. 

Print  Heb.  ii.  18. 

Make  a  list  pi  the  things  for  which  a  soldier  might  ask 
his  Commander. 

ARTICLE  VII.  • 

"From  thence  .  .  .  dead." 

Aim. — To  show  that  Christ  will  come  again  to  judge 
man's  work  for  Him. 

Teacher's  Thought. — "  This  Jesus,  who  is  taken  from  you 
into  heaven,  shall  so  come  as  you  have  seen  Him  going  into 
heaven  "  (Acts  i.  11). 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  115 

37. — Lesson  Subject :   The  Parable  o£  the  Nobleman 
and  his  Servants. 

Reference. — St.  Luke  xix.  11-28. 

Apparatus. — A  picture  of  the  Second  Advent,  or  of  the 
nobleman  judging  his  servants. 

Aim. — To  show  that  Christ  will  come  again  to  judge  man's 
work  for  Him,  and  that  therefore  Ch¥istian  life  is  a  pre- 
paration for  that  day. 

Introduction. — Question  on  the  message  of  the  angels 
after  Christ's  Ascension;  if  the  class  cannot  repeat  the  words 
let  the  teacher  do  so. 

Introductory  Presentation. — The  disciples  were  greatly 
comforted  by  those  words.  How  they  must  have  loved  to 
think  that  the  Lord  Jesus  was  reaUy  coming  again  in  Hke 
manner  as  they  had  seen  Him  ascend.  Let  the  class  recall 
that  He  left  them  with  hands  outstretched  to  bless,  therefore 
He  would  return  again  with  hands  of  blessing. '  It  would  be 
a  happy  day  for  His  friends.  But  were  all  His  friends  ? 
What  would  become  of  those  who  were  not  ? 

The  Lord  Jesus  had  once  told  them  a  story  which  helped 
the  disciples  to  know  something  about  the  Judgment  Day. 
This  was  the  story : 

1.  The  Nobleman  and  his  Servants. — There  was  a  certain 
nobleman,  living  in  a  certain  city,  who  was  called  to  be  king 
over  all  that  country  where  he  lived.  He  had  to  go  on  a 
long  journey  to  the  court  of  the  great  Emperor,  who  would 
give  him  the  kingdom.  Before  he  went  away  the  noble- 
man called  ten  of  his  servants  to  him  and  gave  each  of  them 
a  pound.  ' '  Do  your  best  with  this  money  while  I  am  away, ' ' 
he  said,  "  see  how  much  you  can  make  by  trading  with  it." 
Then  he  left  them. 

But  the  people  of  that  town  did  not  want  him  for  their 
king,  being  wicked,  they  hated  him  and  sent  messengers 
to  the  court  of  the  Emperor,  saying,  "  We  will  not  have 
this  man  to  rule  over  us." 

2.  The  Servants  le£t  Alone. — Each  servant  had  exactly 


116  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

the  same  sum  of  money  given  him,  for  tlie  master  wanted  to 
see  which  of  them  was  the  most  capable.  So  they  each 
set  about  trading  with  the  money  as  best  they  could. 
(Discuss  ways  of  trading  with  the  elder  children,  describe 
some  simple  method  with  the  younger  ones.  Tell  the  class 
that  one  safe  but  not  very  profitable  way  of  increasing  i'^ 
was  to  put  it  into  the  bank,  then  the  banker  would  trade 
with  it  and  give  the  owner  a  small  part  of  the  piofit.) 

One  man  worked  very  hard  and  made  ten  pounds  out  of 
his  one  pound;  another  worked  hard  too,  but  he  was  not  so 
clever  as  the  first  man;  however,  he  did  his  best  and  managed 
to  gain  five  pounds.  So  they  all  worked  away,  some  making 
more,  some  less,  according  to  what  they  could  do.  They 
all  worked  away  but  one,  and  he  was  lazy,  also  he  did  not 
care  much  whether  his  master  got  rich  or  not,  whether  he 
received  the  kingdom  or  no,  he  really  felt  very  little  interest 
in  his  master's  affairs.  He  was  the  kind  of  person  who 
only  works  when  he  is  forced  to  do  so  and  he  had  no  sense 
of  honour;  so  he  wrapped  up  the  pound  in  a  cloth,  put  it 
away  in  a  safe  place,  and  thought  no  more  about  it.  "  Any- 
how," he  said  to  himself  as  he  wrapped  it  up,  "  the  money 
will  be  safe  here,  and  if  I  traded  with  it  I  might  lose  it 
and  then  master  would  be  angry;  but  he  can't  be  angry 
if  I  give  it  back  to  him."  So  he  went  off  on  his  own  affairs 
and  didn't  bother. 

3.  The  Nobleman's  Return  as  King. — Meanwhile  the 
nobleman  had  been  made  king.  Of  course,  the  Emperor 
paid  no  attention  to  the  spiteful  message  sent  by  the  men 
of  the  city,  but  their  new  king  heard  of  it.  So  the  king 
came  back  to  his  city,  king  now  of  all  the  country  round ; 
his  friends  and  servants  rejoiced  to  meet  him,  but  his 
enemies  frowned  behind  their  fast- shut  doors,  frightened 
and  angry.  Then,  when  he  was  come  to  his  own  house, 
the  king  summoned  the  servants  to  whom  he  had  given 
the  money,  that  he  might  know  what  each  had  done. 
Then  the  servant  who  had  worked  hardest  came  up  with 
a   happy   smile.     "  Lord,"   he   cried,    "  thy   pound   hath 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  117 

gained  ten  pounds  more  !  "  (He  took  no  credit  to  himself.) 
"  Well  done,  thou  good  servant,"  his  lord  answered,  "  be- 
cause thou  hast  been  faithful  in  a  very  little,  thou  shalt 
rule  now  over  ten  cities."  Then  the  next  servant  came, 
saying:  "  Lord  thy  pound  hath  gained  five  pounds,"  and 
his  lord  smiled  on  him  too,  and  said :  "  Thou  shalt  rule  over 
five  cities;"  for  he  was  not  so  capable  as  the  first  servant, 
but  he  had  done  his  best,  and  the  lord  was  equally  pleased 
with  him.  So  all  the  servants  were  examined,  one  by  one, 
and  each  was  given  a  post  of  honour  in  the  kingdom,  accord- 
ing to  what  he  could  do.  And  then  came  the  careless, 
lazy  servant,  with  his  pound  wrapped  up  in  a  cloth,  saying, 
''  Lord,  behold  here  is  your  pound,  I  took  great  care  of  it, 
for  I  was  afraid  of  being  blamed  if  I  lost  it.  I  know  that 
you  always  expect  a  good  profit  from  your  servants'  work." 
Then  his  lord  was  very  angry  indeed,  and  said:  "You 
knew  that  I  expect  my  servants  to  work,  and  to  use  what 
I  give  them  so  that  it  will  increase,  then  if  you  were  too 
lazy  to  work  yourself  why  did  you  not  at  least  put  the 
money  in  the  bank,  so  that  others  could  use  it,  and  thus  it 
would  have  increased  ?"  Then  he  added:  "  Take  from  him 
the  pound  and  give  it  to  the  servant  who  has  made  ten 
pounds,  for  lie  will  make  good  use  of  what  I  give  him.  I 
say  unto  you  that  unto  everyone  that  hath  shall  be  given; 
but  from  him  that  hath  not,  even  that  which  he  hath  shall 
be  taken  away." 

In  this  manner  the  lord  judged  his  servants;  but  there 
were  still  his  enemies  to  be  dealt  with.  "  But  as  for  those 
my  enemies,"  he  cried,  "  which  would  not  have  me  reign 
over  them,  bring  them  hither,  and  slay  them  before  me." 

Discuss  the  meaning  of  the  parable:  if  the  children  are 
capable  of  doing  so,  lead  them  to  find  out  the  meaning  for 
themselves ;  if  not,  explain  as  follows : 

This  parable  helped  the  disciples  to  understand  a  great 
deal.  They  must  have  loved  to  think  about  it.  The  Noble- 
man was  of  course  the  Lord  Jesus,  who  had  gone  to  heaven 
to  receive  the  kingdom  of  the  world  to  come  at  the  hand  of 


118  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

God  the  Father.  Presently  He  would  return,  and  mean- 
while there  were  wicked  people  who  hated  Him,  and  who 
did  not  want  Him  to  reign  over  them.  The  servants  were 
the  disciples  and  all  Christians,  the  pound  which  each 
was  given  meant  everything  they  had  which  could  be  used 
for  God — strength,  cleverness,  etc.  (let  the  class  make 
suggestions).  Therefore  what  the  Lord  expects  is  that  all 
persons  will  do  their  best  with  what  He  has  given  them,  so 
that  they  will  help  on  His  work.  And  of  course,  the  more 
you  practise  doing  a  thing  the  better  you  do  it — e.g.,  in 
writing,  in  arithmetic,  playing  cricket,  sewing,  etc. — but, 
on  the  other  hand,  if  you  stop  doing  it  you  almost  forget 
how  to  do  it  at  all;  that  is  what  our  Lord  meant  by,  "  unto 
everyone  that  hath  shall  be  given;  but  from  him  which 
hath  not,  even  that  which  he  hath  shall  be  taken  away." 
Then,  in  the  reward  of  the  servants  we  see  that  the  Lord  is 
just  as  pleased  with  those  who  are  not  clever  as  with  those 
who  are,  as  long  as  they  do  their  best ;  and  that  if  we  work 
for  Him  here  on  earth  as  well  as  ever  we  can,  He  will  give  us 
glorious  work  to  do  for  Him  in  heaven,  not  servants '^^ work 
then,  but  a  share  in  His  own  work,  the  work  of  friends  and 
equals,  something  too  wonderful  for  us  to  understand  yet. 
But  we  must  prove  trustworthy  first. 

Association. — Let  the  children  discuss  different  ways  in 
which  people  can  serve  the  Lord — e.g.,  St.  John,  who  used 
his  skill  in  writing ;  the  Pope,  who  uses  his  power  to  govern; 
Marshal  Foch,  who  used  his  skill  in  generalship;  the  old 
lady  who  gave  the  patchwork  quilt,  who  used  her  skill  as  a 
needlewoman;  etc. 

Application. — Let  the  children  discuss  what  they  can 
each  do  personally. 

Memory  Work.— Cat.  71,  72,  73. 

Expression  Work. — Write  the  parable. 

Draw  the  scenes. 

Describe  how  some  great  Christians  have  used  their 
"  pound." 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  110 

38.— Lesson  Subject ;  The  Parable  of  the  Ten 
Virgins. 

Reference.— St.  Matt.  xxv.  1-13. 

Apparatus. — A  picture  of  the  Ten  Virgins,  a  model  or 
sketch  of  an  Eastern  lamp. 

Aim. — To  show  that  only  the  faithful  and  obedient  can 
live  with  God  in  heaven. 

Introduction. — A  few  questions  on  the  last  lesson,  re- 
cahing  the  interest  with  which  the  Apostles  would  remember 
anything  which  the  Lord  had  told  them  about  His  Second 
Coming. 

Presentation. — There  was  another  story  told  them  by  the 
Lord  Jesus  of  which  the  Apostles  would  often  think. 

1.  The  Ten  Virgins  called  to  the  Wedding.— A  wedding 
was  about  to  take  place  one  evening,  and  ten  young  girls, 
ten  virgins,  had  been  asked  to  bring  their  lamps  and  walk 
in  the  procession.  (Let  the  class  recall  what  they  know 
of  Eastern  wedding  processions.)  The  lamps  were  made 
of  clay,  a  sort  of  coarse  earthenware,  and  were  shaped  like 
a  shallow  saucer,  with  one  side  pinched  up  to  form  a  Mp, 
which  held  the  wick.  They  would  only  hold  about  a  table- 
spoonful  of  oil,  and  so  would  not  burn  for  very  long; 
therefore,  when  you  wanted  them  for  any  length  of  time 
it  was  usual  to  take  a  small  narrow  earthenware  bottle  of 
oil  also.  The  lamps  used  in  processions  had  a  point  at 
the  bottom  which  was  stuck  into  the  top  of  a  long  pole, 
and  carried  aloft  hke  this — the  moving  lights  in  the  dark 
street  looked  very  pretty.  The  arrangement  was  that  the 
ten  girls  should  go  to  the  bridegroom's  house  and  there  wait 
for  his  coming,  then  at  a  given  signal  they  were  to  go  cut 
to  meet  him.  Afterwards  they  would  all  return  to  th  ' 
bridegroom's  house  for  the  wedding  feast.  It  was  a  very 
pleasant  thing  to  be  invited  to  the  wedding.  The  ten 
virgins  made  their  preparations  busily;  but  though  the 
bridegroom  was  the  friend  of  them  all,  they  were  not  all 
true  friends  to  him.     Five  of  them  were  his  friends,  they 


120  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

wanted  to  do  him  honour  in  the  procession,  so  they  pre- 
pared their  lamps  carefully  and  filled  up  the  little  oil 
bottles,  and  then  dressed  in  their  prettiest  clothes  and 
went  to  his  house.  But  the  other  five  thought  chiefly 
about  themselves.  They  were  glad  to  be  the  friends  of  the 
bridegroom,  because  it  gave  them  an  invitation  to  the 
wedding  feast — and  they  loved  parties.  They  spent  so 
much  time  in  dressing  themselves,  that  they  forgot  all 
about  the  lamps,  perhaps  they  did  not  like  to  soil  their 
hands  with  oil,  and  they  certainly  did  not  like  the  trouble 
of  fiUing  them.  So  they  just  took  them  as  they  were,  with 
what  oil  remained  in  them  from  the  last  time  they  were 
used,  and  they  never  troubled  about  little  bottles  of  oil 
at  all;  they  thought  that  if  they  needed  any  more  they  could 
borrow  it,  or  get  it  from  the  servants  at  the  house. 

2.  The  Ten  Virgins  waiting  for  the  Bridegroom. — So  the 
ten  virgins  went  to  the  bridegroom's  house,  and  now  there 
was  nothing  to  do  but  wait,  no  one  knew  when  he  would 
come.  They  would  not  light  their  lamps  until  they  were 
summoned,  because  being  so  smaU  they  would  not  burn 
long,  and  to  light  them  was  the  work  of  a  moment.  They 
all  went  to  sleep. 

3.  The  Ten  Virgins  summoned  to  meet  the  Bridegroom. 
— Suddenly,  at  midnight,  a  cry  was  heard:  "Behold  the 
bridegroom  cometh,  go  ye  forth  to  meet  him  !"  Then 
the  virgins  awoke,  and  sprang  up  hastily,  and  lit  their 
lamps.  They  pulled  up  the  wicks  and  set  light  to  them. 
Those  of  the  five  wise  virgins  burned  up  brightly,  but  those 
of  the  five  careless  ones  just  flickered  for  a  few  minutes 
and  then  went  out,  for  they  had  no  oil. 

Then  they  turned  anxiously  to  the  wise  virgins  and  said : 
"  Give  us  of  your  oil,  for  our  lamps  are  gone  out."  But 
the  wise  answered:  "  We  cannot  do  that.  The  lamps  hold 
but  Httle;  if  we  spare  some  for  you  there  will  not  be  enough 
either  for  us  or  for  you.  We  have  to  thinli  about  the 
wedding  procession.  Go  to  those  that  sell  oil  and  buy  some 
for  yourselves."     Then  the  careless  virgins  hurried  off  to 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  121 

buy  oil,  and  the  wise  ones  went  out  to  meet  the  bridegroom 
and  join  in  the  wedding  procession.  There  they  held 
their  lamps  aloft  and  shed  light  on  the  way,  making  the 
scene  very  bright  and  pretty,  hut  there  were  only  five 
instead  of  ten. 

The  gay  procession  marched  to  the  bridegroom's  house, 
and  they  all  went  in  to  the  happy  wedding  feast,  and  the 
door  was  shut.  Presently  the  five  careless  virgins  hurried 
up.  All  was  dark.  The  house  door  was  shut;  only  chinks 
of  light  and  muffled  sounds  of  music  told  of  the  gaiety 
within.  They  knocked  on  the  door  and  called:  "Lord, 
Lord,  open  to  us !"  But  he  answered  and  said, "  I  know  you 
not. ' '  They  had  not  shown  themselves  his  friends,  they  had 
not  joined  in  the  wedding  procession  when  he  wanted  the 
light  of  their  lamps,  they  had  not  obeyed  his  command  to 
be  ready  for  him,  and  now  it  was  too  late :  the  door  was  shut 
and  no  one  might  come  in. 

Association. — Discuss  the  parable  with  the  class;  let 
them  think  out  its  meaning;  help  them  to  see  that  the 
wise  virgins  are  those  who  think  more  of  pleasing  our  Lord 
than  of  pleasing  themselves,  who  are  really  His  friends^ 
ready  to  do  what  He  asks  of  them,  and  always  eagerly 
expecting  Him;  whereas  the  foolish  virgins  are  those  who 
neglect  prayer  and  confession  and  Holy  Communion,  and 
hope  that  somehow  or  other  it  will  be  all  right  in  the  end. 

Application. — Let  the  class  write  down  a  private  resolu- 
tion of  personal  preparation. 

Memory  Work.— Cat.  74,  75. 

Expression  Work. — Write  the  parable. 

Draw  or  model  an  Eastern  lamp. 

Review  Lesson. 
39. — Lesson  Subject:  The  Last  Judgment. 

Reference. — St.  Matt.  xxv.  31  to  end. 

Aim. — In  the  light  of  the  Last  Judgment,  to  review  the 
life  and  teaching  of  our  Lord  and  the  resultant  obligations 
on  Christians. 


122  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

Introduction. — Question  briefly  on  the  two  preceding 
lessons;  say  that,  much  as  the  disciples  must  have  thought 
about  these  stories,  they  would  think  yet  more  of  something 
very  solemn  of  which  the  Lord  had  told  them — a  descrip- 
tion of  the  Judgment  Day. 

Presentation  :  The  Last  Judgment.—"  When  the  Son 
of  Man  shall  come  in  His  majesty,  and  all  the  angels  with 
Him,  then  shall  He  sit  upon  the  seat  of  His  majesty,  and  all 
nations  shall  be  gathered  together  before  Him,"  said  the 
Lord  Jesus.  Christians  from  all  over  the  world,  from  all 
ages  of  the  world,  gathered  before  the  throne  of  the  Lord 
to  be  judged  !  "  He  shall  separate  them  one  from  another," 
the  Lord  added,  "  as  the  shepherd  divideth  the  sheep  from 
the  goats." 

There  He  will  sit  upon  His  Judgment  Seat,  their  own 
Lord  Jesus,  the  Son  of  Man  ;  of  what  will  those  Christians 
think  when  they  see  Him  there  ?  They  will  think  [we 
shall  think)  of  all  that  He  has  done  for  man,  and  of  all  that 
He  has  told  man  to  do  for  Him. 

Help  the  class  to  build  up  a  summary  somewhat  as  follows : 

What  Christ  has  done  for  man.  What  man  must  do  for  Christ. 

He  was  bom  a  little  Baby,  Believe  in  Him, 

Worked  as  we  work,  Obey  Him, 

Healed  the  sick.  Love  Him, 

Taught  man  about  God,  Work  for  Him, 

Died  to  save  us.  Love  one  another  as  Christ  has 

loved  us. 

Descended  into  limbo  to  teach  Teach  others  about  Him, 

those  there, 

Rose  again  to  conquer  death,  Resist  His  enemy  the  devil, 
Taught  the  Apostles  to  carry  on 

His  work. 
Ascended  into  heaven. 

From  heaven  sends  help  to  men.  Wait  for  Him. 

The  Lord  Jesus  will  remember  aU  this  as  He  judges,  we 
shall  remember  all  this  as  we  are  judged.  The  Lord  will 
separate  the  people,  some  on  His  right  hand  and  some  on 
His  left;  and  each  will  know  already  where  he  belongs,  for 
each  has  been  judged  privately  when  he  died.     And  now 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  123 

the  people  see  the  Lord  no  longer  as  Son  of  Man,  one  of 
them,  but  as  King — continue  in  the  words  of  St.  Matt.  xxv. 
34  to  end. 

Let  the  class  repeat  the  Apostles'  Creed,  Articles  II.  to  VII. 

Memory  Work.— Cat.  76,  7,  8. 

Expression  Work. — Write  :  what  we  must  do  in  order 
to  be  among  the  sheep. 

Write  out  Articles  11.  to  VII.  of  Creed. 


ARTICLE  VIII. 
"  I  believe  in  the  Holy  Ghost." 

Aim. — To  teach  the  children  something  of  the  power  and 
work  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  to  encourage  them  to  pray  for 
His  help. 

Teacher's  Thought. — "  The  Comforter,  the  Holy  Spirit, 
whom  the  Father  will  send  in  My  name.  He  will  teach 
you  all  things"  (St.  John  xiv.  26). 

40.— Lesson  Subject :  The  Holy  Spirit  in  the  Old 
Testament. 

References. — Gen.  ii.  7;  Exod.  xxxi.  1-6;  xxxv.  30-35; 
xxxvi.  1-7. 

Apparatus. — A  model  or  picture  of  the  Tabernacle,  or 
some  picture  relating  thereto. 

Aim. — To  show  the  Holy  Spirit  as  a  moving  force. 

Introduction. — Draw  a  windmill  on  the  B.B.,  ask  what 
drives  it;  draw  a  saiUng  ship,  ask  what  moves  it.  Say 
that  year  by  year  there  are  fewer  windmills  and  fewer  sailing 
ships  because  of  the  use  of  steam,  electricity,  etc.,  but  year 
by  year  there  are  more  of  these — pin  up  a  picture  of  a  motor- 
car— yet,  though  not  dependent  upon  the  wind,  "  which 
bloweth  where  it  hsteth,"  these  are  often  "  becalmed " 
like  the  mill  and  the  ship.  Ask  why.  Very  often  because 
there  is  no  air,  or  wind,  in  the  tj^es.  Let  the  class  say  why 
these  large  tyres  are  used  and  give  their  name.  Print 
''pneumatic "  on  the  board.    Rub  out  tic,  and  explain  that 


124  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

pneuma  is  a  Greek  word  meaning  air,  or  breath,  or  wind. 
Discuss  the  life-giving  qualities  of  air,  draw  from  the  chil- 
dren that  neither  plants  nor  animals  nor  men  can  live 
without  it,  even  a  fire  will  not  burn. 

Presentation:  1.  The  Holy  Spirit  fills  the  World  with  Life.— 
Let  the  class  find  and  read  Gen.  i.  2,  tell  them  that  the  word 
spirit  is  pneuma  in  the  Greek,  print  Hagion  heiore  Pneuma 
(changing  the  p  into  a  capital),  and  tell  them  that  that  is  how 
Holy  Spirit  is  written  in  the  original  language  of  the  New 
Testament.  He  is  the  life-giving  Spirit,  Who,  with  the 
Father  and  the  Son,  created  the  world,  made  the  world 
move,  as  it  were.  Let  the  class  recall  and  quote:  "  Fruit  to 
ripen,"  etc. 

2.  The  Holy  Spirit  inspires  P^Ten  with  Skill. — We  noticed, 
a  few  lessons  back,  that  when  you  want  to  do  a  thing  well 
you  need  to  practise  over  and  over  again,  and  then  it  comes 
easy  to  you.  But  to  do  a  quite  new  thing  is  never  easy. 
If  you  asked  a  bricklayer  to  make  you  a  watch,  what  would 
he  say  to  you  ?  Yet  it  was  something  like  this  which  Moses 
had  to  ask  the  Israelites  to  do.  He  had  rescued  them  from 
the  land  of  Egypt,  where  they  were  Pharaoh's  slaves,  and 
had  led  them  into  the  desert  on  their  way  to  the  Promised 
Land,  and  now  God  had  told  him  that  they  were  to  build  a 
beautiful  church  in  which  to  worship  Him.  God  Himself 
had  told  Moses  exactly  how  it  must  be  made,  with  embroi- 
dered hangings,  and  golden  vessels,  and  rich  vestments  for 
the  priests — but  who  was  to  build  it  ?  What  had  been  the 
work  of  the  IsraeHtes  in  Egypt  ? — brickmakers  and  herds- 
men. What  should  these  men  know  about  the  building  of 
a  beautiful  church  ?  That  must  have  been  the  thought  in 
Moses'  mind.  But  soon  God  set  his  mind  at  rest.  The 
Lord  spake  to  Moses,  saying,  "  I  have  called  by  name 
Beseleel,  and  I  have  filled  him  with  the  Spirit  of  God, 
with  wisdom  and  understanding,  and  knowledge  in  all 
manner  of  work.  To  devise  whatever  may  be  artificially 
made  of  gold,  and  silver,  and  brass,  of  marble  and  precious 
stones  and  variety  of  wood.     And  I  have  given  him  Oohab 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  126 

for  his  companion.  And  1  have  put  wisdom  in  the  heart  of 
every  skilful  man,  that  they  may  make  all  things  which  I 
have  commanded  thee."  Then  God  the  Holy  Spirit  came 
into  Beseleel  and  OoHab,  and  filled  them  with  wonderful 
skill,  and  made  their  brains  quick  to  think  and  their  hands 
clever  to  work;  and  He  moved  among  the  people  and  in- 
spired them  all  to  bring  beautiful  things  with  which  to 
make  the  church — ^jewels  and  gold  and  silver,  embroideries 
and  fine  Unen  and  skins — aU  the  best  of  their  possessions; 
and  they  brought  so  much  that  Moses  had  to  command 
that  no  more  should  be  brought  in.  Then  God  the  Holy 
Spirit  fiUed  with  skill  all  those  who  were  naturally 
skilful  but  had  never  been  trained;  and  the  women  spun 
linen  and  goats'-hair  cloth,  and  the  men  worked  under 
Beseleel  and  Ooliab.  And  so  the  very  first  church  was 
made. 

Let  the  class  now  discuss  what  sort  of  church  it  must  be 
— the  Israehtes  were  travelling,  therefore  it  could  not  be  a 
church  of  stone — the  very  name  of  it  tells  us  what  it  was: 
Tabernacle  or  tent.  As  the  people  themselves  lived  in  tents, 
so  their  church  was  a  tent.  Here  show  model  if  possible. 
Describe  as  follows,  with  or  without  model. 

The  Tabernacle  was  a  tent  of  oblong  shape.  The  walls 
were  made  of  forty-eight  separate  boards  which  were 
fastened  together  when  in  use;  they  were  overlaid  with  gold, 
as  were  the  poles  which  held  up  the  roof.  The  roof  con- 
sisted of  four  sets  of  curtains  placed  one  over  the  other; 
the  under- covering,  which  would  form  the  ceihng  of  the 
Tabernacle,  was  of  fine  Unen  embroidered  in  blue  and  purple 
and  scarlet  threads  with  representations  of  the  cherubim; 
the  second  covering  was  of  goats'-hair  cloth;  the  third  of 
rams'  skins  dyed  red — a  sort  of  morocco  leather;  the  fourth 
covering  was  of  badger  or  porpoise  skins — the  exact  material 
is  uncertain,  but  it  was  evidently  a  waterproof  one.  The 
roof  was  most  probably  ridged,  as  were  Eastern  tents,  and 
would  thus  throw  off  the  rain.  The  eastern  end  was  open, 
except  for   five   wooden  pillars  and  richly   embroidered 


126  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

curtains;  and  beyond  them  was  the  Holy  Place,  and  beyond 
that  again  the  Holy  of  Holies,  separated  from  the  Holy 
Place  by  a  richly  embroidered  veil.  An  enclosm-e  ran 
around  the  Tabernacle,  "  the  court  of  the  Tabernacle," 
made  of  linen  curtains  hung  from  sixty  brass  pillars,  which 
rested  in  brazen  sockets  and  were  further  fastened  to  the 
ground  by  ropes  and  brass  tent  pegs.  Into  this  court  the 
worshippers  might  come  with  their  offerings ;  here  stood  the 
brass  altar  of  burnt  offerings  and  the  brazen  laver ;  in  the 
Holy  Place  stood  the  Altar  of  Incense,  the  Seven-branched 
Lamp  and  the  Table  of  Shewbread;  in  the  Holy  of  Holies 
stood  the  Ark  of  the  Covenant,  here  the  high-priest  entered 
alone,  once  a  year,  on  the  Day  of  Atonement. 

Let  the  class  recall  the  similarity  of  the  Temple,  as  pre- 
viously described,  and  explain  that  the  Temple  was  a  copy 
of  the  Tabernacle,  only  larger  and  even  more  beautiful, 
because  it  was  the  House  of  God  built  when  the  Israelites 
were  settled  in  the  Promised  Land,  and  rebuilt  later  on. 
The  Tabernacle  was,  as  it  were,  the  pattern  church,  designed 
by  God  Himself,  and  made  under  the  guidance  of  God  the 
Holy  Spirit.  God  told  Moses,  also,  just  how  the  services 
were  to  be  arranged — the  morning  and  evening  sacrifices 
and  the  sin  offerings  when  the  people  had  done  wrong — 
because  all  was  to  prepare  the  people  for  the  coming  of 
our  Lord  and  for  the  Cathohc  Church. 

When  everything  was  finished  a  cloud  came  down  over 
the  Tabernacle  and  the  glory  of  the  Lord  filled  it ;  thus  God 
showed  His  people  that  He  had  come  to  dwell  in  His  Church. 
And^the  people  called  it  the  "Tent  of  Meeting,"  for  there 
they  came  to  meet  the  Lord. 

Association. — Let  the  class  recall  what  they  have  heard 
of  the  Holy  Spirit  as  a  life-giving  power — why,  in  the  Greek, 
the  same  word  is  used  for  Spirit  and  for  wind:  e.g.,  the 
motionless  mill,  the  dark  and  shapeless  world;  the  spinning 
sails,  the  world  aUve  with  growing  things.  Again,  the 
helpless  ship,  becalmed;  the  ignorant  Israelites  who  did 
not  know  how  to  make  anything  but  bricks;  and  then  the 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  127 

ship  bearing  its  freight  across  the  ocean,  and  the  Israelites 
busily  making  a  beautiful  church. 

Memory  Work.— Cat.  77,  78. 

Expression  Work. — Make  a  plan  of  the  Tabernacle,  or 
draw  it. 

Describe  the  building  of  the  Tabernacle. 

Draw  a  ship,  waiting  for  the  wind  and  sailing  before  the 
wind. 

41.— Lesson  Subject ;  The  Holy  Spirit  in  the 
New  Testament  (Pentecost). 

References. — St.  Luke  xxiv.  44-49;  St.  John  xiv.  16; 
Acts  i.  and  ii.  1-4;  4  Kings  ii.  1-15. 

Apparatus. — Pictures  of  Elias  and  of  Pentecost. 

Aim. — To  explain  something  of  the  Gift  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  to  the  Church. 

Introduction. — Discuss  with  the  children  the  making  of 
some  working  model — e.g'.,  with  Meccano,  etc.  Discuss  the 
advantages  of  a  clockwork  motor  to  be  fitted  to  the  toy  after 
it  has  been  carefully  built  by  the  child.  Or  describe  a  ship, 
an  engine,  a  motor-car,  just  built  and  waiting  for  the  fire  to 
produce  steam,  petrol  to  start  the  engine,  etc. 

Presentation  :  1.  The  Church  founded. — We  get  our  love 
of  making  things  from  God  Himself.  How  do  we  know 
that  He  loves  to  create  ?  (Creator  of  the  world,  it  runs 
perfectly,  machinery  never  breaks  down.) 

Our  Lord  Jesus  loved  to  make  things  too.  Ask  why? 
(One  with  God  the  Creator ;  let  the  class  give  examples  from 
foregoing  lessons.)  He  came  down  from  heaven  for  the 
express  pm'pose  of  making  a  New  Creation.  He  told  the 
Apostles  a  great  deal  about  it  during  those  forty  days  be- 
tween Easter  and  Ascension  Day,  but  it  was  difficult  for 
them  to  understand,  because  they  themselves  were  part  of 
the  machinery,  as  it  were.  The  New  Creation  was  the 
CathoHc  Church,  and  it  was  made  up  of  men.  The  Apostles 
were  the  main  parts  which  kept  the  whole  together,  the 
rest  of  the  disciples  (about  500  when  Christ  ascended)  made 


128  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

up  the  body.  The  Apostles  knew  this :  they  were  all  one 
body,  and  Jesus  Christ  was  their  Head,  St.  Peter  was  His 
second-in-command,  His  Lieutenant.  But  a  thing  is  not 
made  for  no  purpose  (compare  engines,  ships,  etc.).  What, 
then,  was  to  be  the  work  of  the  Church  ?  To  represent 
Christ  on  earth,  to  do  what  He  did. 

When  you  have  made  a  thing  what  do  you  need  for  it 
before  it  can  vwve?     (A  driving  force.) 

Just  before  His  Ascension  the  Lord  had  said  to  the 
disciples,  "I  send  the  promise  of  My  Father  upon  you; 
but  stay  you  in  the  city,  till  you  be  endued  with  power 
from  on  high."  They  remembered  this,  and  His  other 
words  too.     (Quote  St.  John  xiv.  16.) 

2.  The  Church  waiting  for  the  Gift. — The  disciples  waited 
in  Jerusalem  as  they  were  told  to  do,  their  hearts  full  of 
expectation  of  the  Gift  of  the  Father.  But  one  thing 
troubled  them.  If  you  have  made  a  thing  and  you  lose 
one  part  of  it,  it  throws  it  all  wrong.  The  Lord  had  chosen 
twelve  main  parts  for  His  Church  and  one  was  missing  (let 
the  class  explain),  and  so  the  Apostles  thought  how  they 
could  replace  the  missing  part.  St.  Peter,  of  course,  as  the 
Lord's  Lieutenant,  solved  the  difficulty.  He  explained 
to  the  others  that  a  prophecy  in  the  Psalms  related  to  the 
fall  of  Judas;  it  said,  "  His  work  let  another  take  ";  there 
fore  they  must  choose  one  of  the  disciples  who  had  known 
the  Lord  Jesus  from  His  Baptism,  when  He  began  His  work, 
up  till  His  Ascension.  So  they  chose  two,  Joseph  and 
Matthias,  and  they  prayed,  saying,  "  Thou,  Lord,  Who 
knowest  the  hearts  of  all  men,  shew  which  of  these  two 
Thou  hast  chosen."  Then  they  cast  lots  (explain)  and 
the  lot  fell  upon  Matthias,  and  he  became  the  twelfth 
Apostle. 

They  were  twelve  again  now,  and  stiU  they  waited  and 
wondered.  They  would  recall  everything  which  the  Lord 
had  told  them  about  the  promised  Gift :  He  was  going  away 
so  that  the  Comforter  might  come  to  them;  the  Father 
would  send  Him  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus;  He  was 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  120 

the  Spirit  of  Truth,  and  when  He  came  He  would  teach 
the  disciples  all  things  and  help  them  to  remember  all  that 
the  Lord  Jesus  had  told  them.  They  would  remember  that 
this  same  Holy  Spirit  descended  upon  our  Lord  at  His 
Baptism,  and  that  it  was  in  His  power  that  the  Lord  had 
done  His  mighty  works;  they  would  remember  how  St. 
John  Baptist  had  said  that  the  Lord  Jesus  would  baptize 
with  the  Holy  Ghost  and  with  fire — that  is,  would  give  them 
His  own  Spirit;  they  would  look  up  to  heaven  whither  He 
had  ascended  and  whence  the  Gift  was  to  come,  and  then 
they  would  remember  a  story  from  the  Old  Testament 
which  helped  them  greatly  to  understand.  (Let  the  class 
tell  the  story  of  Elias  if  they  know  it  well,  otherwise  con- 
tinue as  follows.) 

When  the  great  prophet  Elias  had  finished  his  work  for 
God  on  earth,  God  told  him  that  he  should  not  die  as  other 
men  died,  but  be  carried  straight  up  to  heaven.     He  had  a 
dear  friend  and  servant  named  Eliseus,  and  Eliseus  was  to 
him  what  the  disciples  were  to  our  Lord;  he  had  shown  him 
how  to  carry  on  his  work  for  God.     Now  EUseus  was  very 
sad  when  he  knew  that  his  dear  master  was  soon  going  to 
leave  him,  and  he  felt  that  he  must  keep  as  close  to  him  as  he 
could.     So  when  Elias  said,  "Stay  here,  for  the  Lord  hath 
sent  me  as  far  as  Bethel,"  Eliseus  answered,  "  As  the  Lord 
liveth,  and  as  thy  soul  liveth,  I  will  not  leave  thee."     So 
they  both  went  to  Bethel.     At  Bethel  some  prophets  told 
EHseus,  "  The  Lord  will  take  away  your  master  very  soon." 
And  he  answered,    "  I  also  know  it,   hold  your  peace." 
He  could  not  bear  to  be  reminded  of  it.     (Narrate  in  similar 
manner  to  verse  7. )     At  last  they  came  to  the  River  Jordan, 
and  EHas  folded  his  mantle  and  smote  the  waters  of  the 
Jordan,  and  they  divided  so  that  they  could  pass  over  on 
dry  ground.     Then  EUas  said  to  Eliseus,  "  Ask  what  I  shall 
do  for  thee  before  I  be  taken  from  thee,"  and  Eliseus  said, 
*'  Give  me  some  of  your  own  wonderful  power."     EHas 
answered  (continue  in  the  words  of  the  Bible  to  the  end  of 
verse  14):  then  Eliseus  knew  that  his  prayer  had  been 


136  J^AITH  AND  DUTY 

granted;  and  all  who  saw  him,  and  the  wonderful  works 
which  he  did,  said:  "The  spirit  of  Elias  doth  rest  on 
Eliseus." 

3.  The  Gift  given. — A  week  had  passed  since  the  Lord 
Jesus  ascended,  the  disciples  were  still  waiting,  but  the 
Gift  had  not  come.  The  next  Sunday  was  a  great  Jewish 
feast;  it  was  called  Pentecost,  which  meant  "  fiftieth," 
because  it  was  held  on  the  fiftieth  day  after  the  Passover. 
It  was  a  kind  of  harvest  thanksgiving,  when  two  loaves 
made  from  the  new  corn  were  offered  to  God  as  a  thank- 
offering.  The  disciples  no  doubt  went  to  the  morning 
service  in  the  Temple,  and  then  they  went  back  to  the  upper 
room  where  they  always  met  for  prayer.  There  were 
our  Lady  and  the  Apostles  and  many  other  disciples, 
one  hundred  and  twenty  in  all.  Suddenly  through  the 
stillness  there  came  the  sound  of  a  rushing  mighty  wind 
which  filled  all  the  house  where  they  were  sitting,  and  there 
appeared  to  them  tongues  of  fire,  resting  Hke  a  bright 
flame  on  the  head  of  each,  and  they  were  all  filled  with  a 
wonderful  feehng  of  power  and  strength,  for  God  the  Holy 
Ghost  had  descended  on  them,  to  dwell  in  their  hearts, 
and  to  teach  them  about  the  Lord  Jesus  and  enable  them 
to  serve  Him  worthily.  They  had  been  baptized  with  the 
Holy  Ghost  and  with  fire. 

Association. — Refer  to  the  previous  lesson  and  the 
driving  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  ask  the  class  what  they 
think  His  coming  would  mean  for  the  Church.  Help  them 
to  see  that  it  would  enable  it  to  do  things,  but  give  no 
examples,  leave  the  class  in  a  state  of  expectation  as  to 
results. 

Memory  Work.— Cat.  79,  80,  8L 

Expression  Work.— Describe  the  coming  of  the  Holy 
Spirit. 

Write  the  story  of  EHas'  ascension. 

Draw  a  picture  map  of  EHas'  journey  with  Eliseus. 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  131 

42. — Lesson  Subject :  The  Holy  Spirit  in  tiie 
New  Testament  (St.  Peter). 

References. — St.  Luke  xxii.  61,  62;  St.  John  xviii.  15-18, 
25-27;  Actsii.,  ill.,  iv.  1-30,  v.  14,  15. 

Aim. — To  show  the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit  working 
through  St.  Peter. 

Introduction. — One  or  two  questions  on  the  events  of 
Pentecost. 

Presentation  :  1.  St.  Peter  preaches  about  Christ. — As  soon 
as  the  Holy  Spirit  had  descended  upon  the  disciples,  filling 
them  with  His  mighty  power,  they  began  to  speak  wonderful 
words  in  different  languages.  Now  Jerusalem  was  full 
of  Jews  from  all  parts  of  the  world  who  had  come  up  for 
the  feast,  and  they  heard  the  disciples  speaking  in  their 
own  languages,  and  they  were  amazed. 

Crowds  of  people  gathered  round  the  Apostles,  listening 
and  wondering;  no  doubt  they  had  gone  to  the  Temple, 
and  were  now  in  the  great  arcade  called  Solomon's  Porch, 
where  lectures  were  usually  held.  "  What  meaneth  this  ?" 
asked  the  devout  Jews;  but  others  jeered,  saying:  "  They 
have  drunk  too  much  wine."  Then  St.  Peter  stood  forth 
and  preached  to  them;  just  as  the  Lord  Jesus  had  shown 
Cleophas  and  his  friend  that  all  which  had  come  to  pass 
was  in  fulfilment  of  the  Old  Testament  prophecies,  so  now 
St.  Peter  did  the  same.  He  explained  that  the  Lord 
Jesus  was  the  Promised  One,  Whom  they  all  expected, 
and  that  He  had  lived  among  them  and  died  for  them 
according  to  God's  plan,  and  that  now  He  was  seated  on  the 
right  hand  of  God,  in  the  place  of  honour  in  heaven.  Then 
the  devout  Jews  asked  St.  Peter  and  the  other  Apostles  what 
they  must  do  (quote  Acts  ii.  38),  and  those  who  beheved 
were  baptized,  thus  becoming  members  of  the  Church. 
There  were  three  thousand  Christians  made  that  day. 

2.  St.  Peter  heals  in  the  Name  of  Christ. — One  day,  as 
SS.  Peter  and  John  went  into  the  Temple  to  pray,  they 
saw  a  poor  lame  beggar  lying  by  the  Beautiful  Gate;  he 


132  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

was  carried  there  every  day  that  he  might  beg  of  those  who 
passed  by,  for  he  had  been  lame  ever  since  he  was  born, 
and  no  doctor  could  cure  him.  As  the  Apostles  came  up  he 
asked  an  alms  from  them;  they  gazed  thoughtfully  at  him 
with  a  look  different  from  any  he  had  ever  seen.  "  Look 
upon  us,"  said  St.  Peter  gravely;  he  and  St.  John  were 
fiUed  with  a  sense  of  the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  Christ's 
own  power,  and  here  was  a  chance  to  use  it.  The  lame  man 
looked  up  eagerly,  hoping  for  a  gift  (continue  in  words 
of  Acts  iii.  6-8). 

Now  all  the  people  in  the  Temple  courts  were  very  much 
surprised  to  see  the  man  walking  and  leaping  like  this,  for 
they  knew  that  he  had  been  born  lame.  Soon  a  crowd 
gathered  round  SS.  Peter  and  John  and  the  man,  asking 
what  it  all  meant  and  who  had  cured  him.  Then  St.  Peter 
told  these  people  that  it  was  by  the  power  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
that  the  man  was  cured,  for  the  Lord  Jesus  was  God  and 
could  do  all  things,  though  the  Jews  would  not  beUeve  this, 
and  had  killed  Him ;  but  the  Lord  had  risen  from  the  dead 
and  ascended  into  heaven,  and  was  now  showing  forth  His 
power  through  them. 

As  they  were  speaking  to  the  people  the  priests  and 
Sadducees  came  upon  them,  and  were  furiously  angry. 
These  were  the  Lord's  special  enemies  who  had  killed  Him 
and  utterly  refused  to  believe  in  His  resurrection,  and  had 
even  bribed  the  soldiers,  who  had  seen  the  angel  roll  away 
the  stone,  to  say  that  the  disciples  themselves  had  stolen 
away  the  Lord's  Body.  What  must  have  been  their  rage, 
then,  to  find  the  Apostles  preaching  in  the  very  Temple 
courts,  saying  that  the  Lord  had  risen  from  the  dead,  and 
working  an  extraordinary  miracle  to  prove  it !  They 
seized  SS.  Peter  and  John,  and  put  them  in  prison  until 
the  next  day,  for  it  was  now  evening. 

3.  St.  Peter  confesses  Christ.— SS.  Peter  and  John  were 
in  prison;  in  the  morning  they  would  be  brought  before 
Annas  and  Caiaphas,  the  high-priest,  who  had  condemned 
the  Lord  to  death.     What  would  happen  to  them  ? 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  133 

SS.  Peter  and  John  had  been  in  the  judgment  hall  of 
Caiaphas  before;  let  us  recall  what  St.  Peter  did  then  before 
we  see  what  he  did  now.  The  Lord  was  in  the  hall,  in  the 
midst  of  His  enemies;  St.  John  was  known  in  the  palace,  so 
he  spoke  to  the  portress  and  brought  in  Peter.  "  Art  not 
thou  also  one  of  this  Man's  disciples  ?"  asked  the  girl. 
"I  am  not,"  he  answered.  Then  he  mingled  with  the 
crowd  round  the  fire  and  hoped  to  remain  unnoticed. 
Presently  another  maid  asked  him,  "  Art  not  thou  also 
one  of  this  Man's  disciples  ?"  "  I  am  not,"  he  said.  Later 
someone  said,  "  This  man  must  be  one  of  His  followers,  for 
we  can  tell  that  he  comes  from  Galilee  by  his  speech." 
"  Did  not  I  see  thee  in  the  garden  with  Him  ?"  asked 
a  kinsman  of  the  man  whose  ear  Peter  had  cut  off.  Then 
Peter  began  to  curse  and  to  swear,  saying,  "  I  know  not 
the  Man."  And  immediately  the  cock  crew,  and  the  Lord 
turned  and  looked  on  Peter,  and  he  remembered  the  word 
of  the  Lord,  and  went  out  and  wept  bitterly.  St.  Peter 
would  think  of  all  this  that  night  in  prison.  To-morrow 
he  himself  would  stand  before  Caiaphas  to  be  judged. 

In  the  morning  all  the  most  powerful  Jews  in  Jerusalem 
were  gathered  together,  and  summoned  the  Apostles  before 
them. 

"  By  what  power,  or  by  what  name,  have  ye  done  this  V 
they  asked.  St.  Peter  answered  at  once  that  the  man  was 
healed  by  the  power  and  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus, 
though  he  knew  that  he  might  be  killed  for  saying  it;  for 
now  St.  Peter  was  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  no  one 
could  make  him  afraid.  The  priests  and  Sadducees  were 
very  much  surprised  to  see  how  brave  the  Apostles  were, 
and  they  did  not  know  what  to  do;  they  sent  them  away 
whilst  they  discussed  the  matter  among  themselves. 
"  What  shall  we  do  ?"  they  said.  "It  is  evident  that  a 
great  miracle  has  been  wrought,  and  if  we  punish  these  men 
there  will  be  trouble  with  the  people.  We  will  forbid  them 
to  preach  any  more  in  this  name,  threaten  them  severely, 
and  let  them  go."     And  calling  them,  they  charged  them 


134  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

not  to  speak  at  all,  nor  teach,  in  the  name  of  Jesus.  But 
the  Apostles  answered — continue  in  words  of  Acts  iv.  19,  20. 
So,  still  threatening  them,  they  sent  them  away.  (Ask 
the  class  what  they  think  the  Apostles  would  do;  tell  how 
they  continued  to  preach  and  make  converts.  Read  Acts 
V.  14,  15.) 

Association. — Let  the  class  recall  {a)  what  St.  Peter  had 
begun  to  do  in  the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit — preach,  in  the 
same  way  in  which  our  Lord  preached,  by  explaining  God's 
plans;  preach  so  wonderfully  that  people  believed  and 
became  followers  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ — that  is,  Chris- 
tians. Besides  this,  he  healed  the  sick  by  the  power  of  the 
Lord  Jesus;  and  he  had  learnt  to  be  fearless  and  true  and 
loyal  to  His  Master,  (b)  What  the  body  of  the  Apostles, 
the  Church,  had  begun  to  do  by  the  power  of  the  Holy 
Spirit — tell  the  people  to  do  penance  for  their  sins ;  baptize 
them  in  the  name  of  the  Father  and  of  the  Son  and  of  the 
Holy  Ghost,  so  making  them  members  of  the  Church; 
confirm  them  by  giving  them  the  Holy  Ghost,  through  the 
power  given  to  the  Church  by  Christ. 

Memory  Work.— Cat.  82. 

Expression  Work.  —  Write :  how  St.  Peter  behaved 
{a)  before  he  received  the  Holy  Spirit,  (h)  after  he  had  re- 
ceived the  Holy  Spirit;  or  the  story  of  St.  Peter's  bravery. 

43.— Lesson  Subject :  The  Holy  Spirit  in  the 
New  Testament  (St.  Stephen). 

Reference. — Acts  vi.  and  vii. 

Apparatus. — A  picture  of  the  death  of  Stephen. 

Aim. — To  show  the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit  working 
through  St.  Stephen. 

Note  to  the  Teacher. — St.  Chrysostom  says  that  the 
Seven  were  "  neither  presbyters  nor  deacons."  It  is 
thought  that  their  office  was  unique,  like  that  of  the 
Twelve,  but  Uke  them  they  have  successors,  and  are  the 
ancestors  of  both  priests  and  deacons.  The  Jewish 
punishment  for  blasphemy  was  death  by  stoning,  but  the 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  135 

Romans  did  not  allow  them  to  exercise  the  power  of  capital 
punishment  now.  The  rage  of  the  Jews  here  overcame  their 
prudence,  but  Pilate  was  so  weak  that  he  would  easily 
condone  their  offence. 

Introduction. — A  few  questions  on  the  last  lesson,  re- 
calling to  mind  that  the  Christians  were  now  quite  numerous. 

Presentation  :  1.  St.  Stephen's  Call. — There  were  now  a 
great  many  Christians  in  Jerusalem,  and  some  of  them  \\  ere 
very  poor,  much  poorer  than  they  were  before  they  became 
Christians,  for  the  Jewish  Church  gave  food  and  money  to 
the  poor  widows  who  had  no  one  to  provide  for  them,  but, 
of  course,  this  help  was  now  cut  off.  There  was  so  much 
to  be  done  in  seeing  after  all  these  poor  people  that  the 
Apostles  found  that  they  must  have  assistance ;  it  would  be 
wrong  for  them  to  give  up  their  time  to  this  kind  of  work 
— they  were  needed  to  pray  and  preach.  So  they  asked  the 
Church  to  select  seven  holy  men  for  this  work ;  the  people 
did  so,  they  chose  Stephen  and  Philip  and  five  others,  and 
brought  them  to  the  Apostles,  who  prayed  over  them  and 
laid  their  hands  on  them,  thus  setting  them  apart  for 
God's  special  service,  ordaining  them  to  the  ministry.  They 
were  full  of  the  Holy  Spirit  before,  but  now  He  came  to 
them  with  a  new  power,  giving  them  special  grace  for  their 
work. 

2.  St.  Stephen's  Work. — St.  Stephen  was  full  of  grace 
and  of  the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  he  worked  many 
miracles  among  the  people.  He  was  also  a  learned,  cultured 
man  (it  is  thought  that  he  had  lived  in  Rome),  and  his 
splendid  sermons  attracted  notice  from  the  Jewish  rulers. 
They  were  extremely  irritated;  they  hated  to  think  that  a 
man  of  their  own  class  should  be  a  Christian;  they  did  not 
so  much  mind  what  was  said  and  done  by  ignorant  fishermen 
like  the  Apostles.  They  argued  with  St.  Stephen,  but 
they  were  no  match  for  him:  not  only  was  he  naturally 
clever,  but  he  was  also  filled  with  the  Holy  Spirit.  Then 
they  resorted  to  the  very  trick  which  they  had  used  against 
our  Lord;  they  paid  men  to  tell  lies  about  him,  to  say  that 


136  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

he  had  spoken  blasphemy,  and  if  that  could  be  proved  they 
would  stone  him  to  death.  He  was  summoned  to  the 
Council,  and  the  false  witnesses  came,  saying:  "  This  man  is 
always  speaking  against  the  Temple  and  the  law,  and  saying 
that  this  Jesus  of  Nazareth  shall  destroy  this  place  and  shall 
change  the  traditions  which  Moses  gave  us."  It  was  the 
worst  kind,  of  lie,  one  which  is  half  a  truth,  a  perversion  of 
the  truth.  St.  Stephen's  heart  burned  within  him;  he 
knew  where  he  was  now ;  he  saw  that  they  meant  to  serve 
him  as  they  had  served  his  Master,  and  he  realised  that 
his  chance  had  come  to  speak  for  his  Master,  and  the 
thought  thrilled  him.  "  And  all  that  sat  in  the  Council, 
looking  on  him,  saw  his  face  as  if  it  had  been  the  face  of  an 
angel." 

3.  St.  Stephen  wins  the  Martyr's  Crown.—"  Are  these 
accusations  true  ?"  asked  the  high-priest.  St.  Stephen 
accepted  the  challenge.  "  Brethren  and  fathers,"  he  said 
(for  he  was  speaking  to  his  equals,  compare  with  St.  Peter's 
"  rulers  of  the  people  and  eldeis  ").  "Ye  men,  brethren 
and  fathers,  hear  !"  And  then  followed  the  most  wonderful 
speech  that  they  had  ever  heard.  It  was  a  long  one,  but, 
though  it  made  them  more  and  more  furious  every  moment, 
they  were  chained  to  their  seats  by  the  magic  of  his  elo- 
quence until  he  had  finished.  (If  thought  desirable  give 
a  full  summary  to  elder  children.)  He  began  with  God's 
call  of  Abraham  and  showed  them  His  plan  right  the  way 
through  the  Old  Testament  history,  how  He  had  chosen 
Abraham  and  his  children  and  made  of  them  the  Jewish 
nation,  and  trained  them  to  know  and  love  and  serve  Him ; 
but  they  were  like  disobedient  children  and  would  not 
obey,  and  now  at  last  they  had  rejected  the  Promised  One 
Himself,  the  Lord  Jesus.  As  he  ceased  speaking,  their 
fury  broke  bounds,  for  they  were  cut  to  the  heart  and  they 
gnashed  their  teeth  at  him  (quote  vii.  55).  At  that  they 
could  bear  no  more,  and  screaming  with  rage  and  horror, 
and  stopping  their  ears  that  they  might  not  hear  his  blas- 
phemy (as  they  said),  they  flung  themselves  upon  him  and 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  137 

dragged  him  through  the  streets  of  Jerusalem  (as  his  Master 
had  once  been  dragged),  and  there  without  the  gates  they 
stoned  him  to  death;  and  as  they  stoned  him  St.  Stephen 
prayed,  "  Lord  Jesus,  receive  my  spirit,"  and  kneeHng 
down  he  cried  with  a  loud  voice:  "  Lord,  lay  not  this  sin 
to  their  charge,"  and  so  saying,  died. 

A  little  apart,  watching  the  scene  and  keeping  the  gar- 
ments of  those  who  were  stoning  St.  Stephen,  stood  one  of 
those  who  had  voted  for  his  death,  a  young  man  named 
Saul. 

Association. — Help  the  class  to  recall  some  of  the  gifts 
which  they  have  seen  that  the  Holy  Spirit  confers;  wisdom 
and  skill  in  earthly  matters  (Beseleel),  courage,  fortitude, 
loyalty,  the  power  of  helping  others  as  seen  in  SS.  Peter  and 
Stephen.  Or  take  the  review  on  the  Seven  Gifts  of  the 
Holy  Spirit ;  as  each  is  written  up  let  the  class  give  examples 
from  the  preceding  lessons. 

Application. — Help  the  class  to  form  a  resolution  to  pray 
regularly  to  the  Holy  Spirit  for  help;  the  Veni  Creator 
Spiritus  might  be  suggested. 

Memory  Work. — The  Seven  Gifts  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 

Expression  Work. — Tell  the  class  that  Stephen  means 
"  crown";  lead  them  to  see  the  significance  of  this,  and  to 
draw  a  crown,  with  the  following  verse  printed  beneath 
if  liked: 

'*  Holy  Stephen,  thou  whose  name 
Doth  the  martyr's  crown  proclaim, 
First  to  magnify  thy  Lord, 
First  to  gain  the  great  reward." 


ARTICLE  IX. 
"  The  Holy  Catholic  Church,  the  communion  of  saints." 

Aim. — To  give  a  clear  idea  of  the  Church,  and  to  inspire 
the  children  with  love  and  loyalty. 

Teacher's  Thought. — "  Now  you  are  the  body  of  Christ" 
(1  Cor.  xii.  27). 


138  FAITH  AND  DUTY 


The  Marks  of  the  Church:   1.  One. 

44.— Lesson  Subject :  The  Church  from  the  Outside  : 
Saul  the  Persecutor. 

References. — Acts  ii.  42,  viii.  1-4,  ix.  1,  2,  xxii.  3-5; 
2  Cor.  i.  22,  ii,  17. 

Apparatus. — A  large  map  showing  Tarsus,  Damascus, 
and  Jerusalem. 

Aim. — To  show  Saul  persecuting  the  Church  and  so 
finding  out  its  unity. 

Introduction. — One  or  two  questions  on  the  last  lesson, 
bringing  out  Saul's  presence  at  the  death  of  Stephen. 

Presentation  :  1.  Saul  as  a  Boy  at  Tarsus. — "  Saul  was 
consenting  to  his  death,"  and  that  meant  a  good  deal  to 
the  chief  priests  and  rulers,  for  this  young  man  was  rich 
and  clever,  a  Pharisee,  and  his  father  and  grandfather 
before  him  had  been  Pharisees;  he  was  a  person  of  im- 
portance. 

Saul  had  spent  his  boyhood  far  away  from  Jerusalem, 
in  the  seaport  town  of  Tarsus  (show  on  map).  He  was 
born  to  splendid  honours;  he  was  one  of  God's  noblemen, 
a  Jew,  a  member  of  the  Chosen  Race;  and  he  was  one  of 
CiiDsar's  noblemen,  a  Roman  citizen.  (Tell  of  the  presen- 
tation of  the  "  freedom  of  the  city,"  to  our  famous  men, 
in  order  to  do  them  honour.)  The  httle  boy  Saul  was 
intensely  proud  of  these  honours,  and  when  as  a  man  a  far 
greater  honour  was  his,  he  was  still  proud  of  them. 

Being  born  to  a  great  position  his  father  took  care  to 
have  Saul  extremely  well  educated.  As  a  tiny  boy  he  was 
taught  the  Old  Testament  stories  at  home,  then  he  went  to 
school  and  learnt  still  more  of  the  Bible,  and  of  the  duties 
and  privileges  of  being  a  Jew.  Besides  this,  he  learnt  a 
trade,  as  did  every  Jewish  boy.  Tarsus  was  famous  for 
its  tent  cloth  made  from  goats'  hair,  and  that  was  the  trade 
which  Saul  learnt.     There  came  a  day  when  he  was  glad 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  130 

of  it.  We  can  guess  where  he  went  on  holidays;  where 
would  you  go  if  you  hved  in  a  seaport  town,  with  ships 
unlading  daily  at  the  wharves,  bringing  strange  cargoes 
from  foreign  lands  ?  Saul  must  have  been  often  on  the 
quay  watching  the  shipping,  because  years  afterwards 
he  mentioned  in  his  letters  things  which  he  had  noticed  there. 
He  saw  how  the  bales  of  goods  were  sealed  with  the  owner's 
name  before  being  sent  off;  and  how  a  sample  would  be 
sent  in  advance,  as  a  first  instalment  of  the  goods  to  follow 
(2  Cor.  i.  22);  and  he  noticed  that  some  tradesmen  were 
dishonest  and  mixed  bad  things  with  good,  pretending 
that  all  were  good  alike  fii.  17).  He  must  have  been  a 
very  observant  boy. 

2.  Saul  as  a  Young  Man  in  Jerusalem. — As  soon  as  he 
was  old  enough  Saul  went  up  to  Jerusalem  to  finish  his 
education,  as  our  young  men  go  to  Oxford  and  Cambridge. 
Tarsus  was  a  University  city,  too,  but  it  was  a  heathen 
University,  and  Saul's  father  was  a  good  Jew,  so  he  sent 
his  son  to  be  under  the  great  Jewish  teacher,  Gamaliel,  in 
the  Holy  City  itself  ;  just  as  good  CathoHcs  send  their 
boys  to  Catholic  schools  rather  than  to  Protestant  public 
schools.  As  a  man  at  Oxford  will  think  of  King  Alfred,  the 
founder  of  England's  greatness,  and  of  other  great  men 
connected  with  that  city,  so  Saul  at  Jerusalem  would  think 
of  the  founder  of  his  nation's  greatness — Moses,  and  of  the 
great  men  who  followed  him.  Discuss  this  line  of  thought 
with  the  class,  being  guided  by  their  previous  knowledge, 
bringing  out  especially  the  Jews'  devotion  to  Moses,  their 
leader,  rescuer,  lawgiver,  and  their  passionate  loyalty 
to  the  "  Law  of  Moses."  Describe  Saul  as  thrilled  by  the 
greatness  of  being  a  Jew,  one  of  God's  special  people;  tell 
how  earnest  and  good  he  was,  keeping  the  law  with  his 
whole  heart,  and  looking  forward  to  the  coming  of  the 
Promised  One,  the  Messiah. 

Say  that  Saul  lived  in  Jerusalem  after  his  University 
course  was  ended;  he  had  a  married  sister  there,  and  no 
doubt  many  friends. 


140  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

3.  Saul  as  Persecutor. — One  day  Saul  heard  a  story  which 
filled  him  with  horror.  It  seemed  that  here  in  Jerusalem 
there  was  a  set  of  people  who  claimed  that  the  Messiah 
had  come,  and  that  He  was  no  other,  indeed,  than  a  certain 
Carpenter  Who  had  been  crucified  for  treason  one  Passover 
time.  Further,  they  said  that  He  had  risen  from  the  dead 
and  ascended  into  heaven,  and  that  He  had  told  His  fol- 
lowers to  obey  Him  rather  than  Moses.  It  was  an  appalling 
thought;  it  seemed  to  Saul  like  the  most  dreadful  blasphemy. 
Then  one  of  the  cultured  foreign  Jews,  Stephen,  joined  the 
sect,  and  that  made  it  worse  than  ever;  he  would  preach 
his  wicked  heretical  beliefs.  Saul  sat  with  the  Council  when 
they  had  him  up  for  trial,  but  Stephen's  speech  made  him 
rather  uncomfortable;  he  would  have  it  that,  as  the  Israel- 
ites had  turned  against  Moses  in  the  wilderness,  so  now 
the  Jews  had  rejected  the  Messiah.  It  was  a  dreadful  idea, 
too  terrible  to  be  true.  He  voted  for  Stephen's  death, 
he  watched  him  die,  but  he  could  not  forget  the  look  on  his 
face  when  he  died. 

"  This  terrible  heresy  must  be  stamped  out,"  Saul  said 
to  himself,  and  he  began  to  make  arrests.  He  went  from 
house  to  house  to  discover  who  were  Christians  and  who 
were  not,  and  when  he  found  any  Christian  men  or  women 
he  dragged  them  away  to  prison.  But  no  doubt  he  ex- 
amined them  carefully  first:  "What  do  you  believe  about 
this  Jesus  ?"  he  would  ask.  "  We  believe  that  He  is  God," 
they  answered.  "  How  do  you  worship  Him  ?"  "  We 
have  our  own  Holy  Sacrifice."  "  Have  you  a  leader  ?" 
"  Yes,"  but  they  would  never  tell  his  name,  nor  would  they 
give  any  particulars  about  their  worship ;  but  it  must  have 
been  clear  to  Saul  in  the  course  of  his  inquiries  that  they  all 
believed  the  same  Faith,  that  they  aU  worshipped  in  the 
same  way,  and  that  they  were  all  united  under  one  Head. 
It  maddened  him.  House  after  house  Saul  entered,  all 
sorts  of  men  and  women  he  questioned,  and  he  found  that 
they  all  befieved  that  this  Jesus  was  God,  they  all  v/orshipped 
Him  with  some  mysterious  sacrifice  of  their  own,  and  they 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  141 

all  held  together,  evidently  under  some  powerful  leader. 
But  who  this  leader  was  Saul  could  not  discover.  If  only 
he  could  have  made  these  people  differ  from  each  other 
there  would  have  been  some  hope  of  the  sect  breaking  up, 
but  if  they  hung  together  like  this  they  would  become 
terribly  strong.  Well,  he  would  break  them  up.  He  did  his 
best.  All  whom  he  could  find  he  had  imprisoned,  "  per- 
secuting them  to  the  death,"  as  he  afterwards  said  himself. 
Others  left  Jerusalem,  seeking  safety  in  the  surrounding 
country. 

Saul  now  felt  that  Jerusalem  was  fairly  clear,  but  he 
was  uneasy  lest  there  might  be  some  of  these  people  at 
Damascus  (show  on  map).  So  he  asked  the  chief  priest  for 
an  order  empowering  him  to  arrest  any  Christians  whom 
he  might  find  there,  and  bring  them  to  Jerusalem  for 
punishment.  Then  he  set  off.  He  was  still  furious. 
St.  Stephen's  words  haunted  him,  and  the  obstinacy  of  the 
Christians  angered  him.  He  would  stamp  them  out.  But 
he  had  a  long  journej'  in  front  of  him  and  a  great  deal  of 
time  for  thought.  It  would  take  about  a  fortnight  to 
reach  Damascus  from  Jerusalem;  in  some  parts  the  road 
was  so  narrow  that  travellers  must  ride  in  single  file,  and 
so  bad  that  the  horses  could  only  proceed  at  a  walk.  Thus, 
thinking  deeply,  followed  by  his  servants,  Saul  rode  slowly 
along  day  by  day. 

Association. — Let  the  class  recapitulate  the  lesson, 
emphasise  the  unity  of  doctrine  and  practice  amongst  the 
Christians.  Let  elder  children  find  and  read  St.  Paul's 
account  of  this  time  (Acts  xxii.  3-5). 

Memory  Work. — Cat.  95. 

Expression  Work. — Write  why  Saul  persecuted  the  Chris- 
tians, or  what  he  found  out  about  the  Christians. 

Draw  a  scene  from  Saul's  boyhood,  or  a  map  showing  the 
places  named. 


142  FAITH  AND  DUTY 


The  Marks  op  the  Church  {continued) :  2.  Holy. 

45.— Lesson  Subject :  The  Church  from  the  Inside- 
Saul  the  Christian. 

References. — Acts  ix.  3-30;  Gal.  i.  15-19;  Actsxxii.  17-21; 
Exod.  iii.  1;  3  Kings  xix.  8;  St.  Mark  i.  12. 

Apparatus. — A  model  or  sketch  of  an  Eastern  plough? 
model  or  picture  of  an  Eastern  city  gate. 

Aim. — To  show  how  Saul  became  a  Christian  and  found 
that  the  Church  is  holy. 

Introduction. — Question  on  the  last  lesson,  bringing  out 
what  Saul  was  doing  and  thinking  when  we  left  him. 

Presentation  :  1.  Saul  sees  the  Lord. — As  Saul  drew  near 
to  Damascus  the  road  would  improve,  and  he  would  notice 
work  going  on  in  the  fields  by  the  loadside.  (Show  model 
or  picture  of  plough.)  Most  probably  he  would  see  a  man 
ploughing  with  oxen;  they  drew  the  plough  slowly  along 
till  one  grew  restive  and  tossed  its  head  and  tried  to  get 
free  from  the  yoke,  but  the  ploughman  pricked  it  with  the 
long  pointed  goad  which  he  carried  in  his  hand,  and  the  ox 
was  obliged  to  give  in.  Saul  was  very  stiff  from  his  long 
ride,  he  would  walk  now  and  again  to  stretch  his  limbs,  and 
he  was  probably  walking  here,  the  servants  behind  him 
leading  his  horse.  The  walls  and  gate  of  Damascus  were 
visible  now  (continue  in  the  words  of  Acts  ix.  3-9).  Show 
model  of  gate  and  picture  him  led  through  it  into  the 
city. 

2.  Saul  is  received  into  the  Church. — Let  the  class  say 
what  Saul  would  think  about  during  those  three  days  of 
darkness,  how  he  would  compare  his  actions  with  those 
of  the  disobedient  ox;  how  he  would  realise  that  he  had  a 
Master,  and  what  a  Master,  no  less  than  the  Son  of  God 
Himself  !  What  must  this  Church  be  like  of  which  He 
was  the  Head  ?  How  much  he  longed  to  know  all  about 
the  Church.     Then  he  had  a  vision  of  a  man  called  Ananias 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  143 

coming  to  him  and  laying  his  hands  on  him  and  giving  him 
his  sight  again. 

Meanwhile  that  same  Ananias  had  a  vision,  and  was 
at  first  much  distressed  (narrate  verses  10-17).  And  im- 
mediately it  seemed  to  Saul  that  scales  fell  from  his  eyes; 
he  could  see  plainly.  He  looked  up  at  the  kind  face  of 
Ananias,  and  he  could  see  also  what  made  Ananias  so  kind. 
"  Brother  Saul,"  those  words  from  the  man  he  had  come  to 
imprison  !  But  Ananias  was  a  servant  of  the  Lord,  and 
Saul  felt  that  all  the  Lord's  servants  must  be  wonderful. 
But  how  could  he,  stained  with  sin  as  he  was,  enter  this  holy 
Church  ?  Ananias  would  explain  that  all  his  sins  would 
be  forgiven  in  baptism;  so  he  arose  and  was  baptized  and 
received  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  heard  Mass  and  was  given 
Holy  Communion. 

Then  the  disciples  at  Damascus  welcomed  him  as  a 
brother,  though  he  had  come  there  in  order  to  persecute 
them. 

3.  Saul  is  taught  by  the  Lord. — Ask  where  the  Lord  Jesus 
went  after  the  Holy  Spirit  came  to  Him  at  His  baptism. 
Ask  for  other  instances  of  those  who  sought  the  desert 
in  order  to  get  close  to  God:  Moses,  Elias.  Tell  how  Saul 
went  away  into  the  desert  and  stayed  there  for  two  years 
or  more,  all  alone  with  God.  Tell  how  the  Lord  Jesus 
Himself  taught  him  by  the  Holy  Spirit.  Let  the  children 
recall  how  the  Lord  explained  the  Bible  to  Cleophas  and 
his  companion,  and  reproved  them  for  not  understanding 
it  better.  Let  them  think  of  all  Saul's  study  of  the  Bible 
from  his  childhood,  and  explain  that  the  Holy  Spirit  would 
bring  all  this  to  his  mind  and  show  him  how  everything 
was  leading  up  to  the  coming  of  the  Lord  Jesus.  He 
would  have  learnt  about  the  Lord's  life  and  death,  and 
he  would  now  fit  it  all  together.  Let  the  class  sum  up 
what  Saul  learnt:  that  Jesus  is  the  Son  of  God,  that  the 
Church  is  His  kingdom,  that  His  kingdom  is  holy,  that  all 
are  called  to  enter  it,  that  it  was  his  duty  to  help  them  to 
enter  it,  for  he  had  been  made  an  Apostle  too.     Tell  that 


144  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

St.  Paul,  was  the  first  to  preach  about  Jesus  as  the  Son  of 
God. 

4.  Saul  is  given  Work  for  the  Church. — Tell  briefly  how 
Saul  returned  to  Damascus  and  preached  there,  that  this 
made  the  Jews  very  angry  and  they  tried  to  kill  him,  that 
they  watched  the  gates  in  order  to  take  him,  so  the  disciples 
let  him  down  over  the  wall  in  a  basket,  and  he  escaped 
to  Jerusalem.  Tell  how  SS.  Peter  and  James  received 
him  very  kindly,  though  the  others  were  afraid  of  him  at 
first.  Apparently  he  stayed  with  St.  Peter,  and  he  must 
have  been  much  impressed  by  the  saintliness  of  St.  James, 
who  was  called  by  all  "  the  Just." 

Saul  now  began  to  take  up  the  work  of  St.  Stephen,  and 
to  preach  about  Christ  to  the  learned  Jews  from  foreign 
parts.  It  made  them  furious  and  they  determined  to  kill 
him.  Then  one  day  he  was  in  the  Temple,  praying,  and 
he  saw  the  Lord  in  a  vision,  who  ordered  him  to  leave  Jeru- 
salem at  once,  for  the  Jews  there  would  not  listen  to  him. 
Saul  said  that  he  could  not  wonder  at  it,  for  they  remem- 
bered him  as  a  persecutor  of  the  Church.  Then  the  Lord 
commanded:  "Go,  for  unto  the  Gentiles  afar  off  will  I 
send  thee."  Saul  said  nothing  about  this  vision  at  the 
time,  but  when  soon  afterwards  the  disciples  begged  him  to 
leave  Jerusalem  for  his  own  sake,  he  went  at  once,  going 
back  to  Tarsus,  where  he  lived  and  worked  quietly  for  years, 
thinking  out  what  the  Lord  wished  him  to  do. 

Association. — Let  the  class  discuss  how  Saul  became  a 
Christian,  and  what  he  learnt  about  the  Church. 

Memory  Work.— Cat.  96. 

Expression  Work. — Draw  a  symboUc  picture  of  Saul's 
conversion — e.g.,  the  gate  and  walls  of  a  city,  a  sword  on 
the  ground,  and  a  cross  in  the  sky. 

Write:  how  Saul  became  a  Christian. 

Copy  out  Acts  ix.  3-6. 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  145 

The  Marks  of  the  Church  {continued) ;  3.  Catholic. 

46. — Lesson  Subject :  The  Church  and  the  World  ; 
St.  Peter  and  Cornelius. 

Reference. — Actsx.,  xi.  1-18. 

Apparatus. — Plan  of  Temple,  sketch  or  model  of  Eastern 
house. 

Aim. — To  show  St.  Peter,  as  Keeper  of  the  Keys,  opening 
the  door  to  the  Gentiles. 

Introduction. — Show  on  plan,  draw  roughly  on  board, 
or  merely  recall  to  mind,  the  "  middle  wall  of  partition  " 
in  the  Court  of  the  Gentiles  beyond  which  no  Gentile  might 
pass  on  pain  of  death.  Let  the  class  tell  all  they  know 
about  it. 

Introductory  Presentation. — Explain  that  St.  Peter  had 
been  familiar  with  this  wall  from  childhood,  and  he  thought 
it  the  most  natural  thing  in  the  world.  He  had  always  been 
taught  that  the  Gentiles — that  is,  all  who  were  not  Jews — 
were  unclean,  and  you  could  not  have  anything  to  do  with 
them.  Look  at  the  things  they  ate  !  By  the  law  of  Moses 
every  animal  or  bird  or  fish  which  ate  unclean  food  was 
unclean  itself,  and  might  not  be  eaten.  (Let  the  class  give 
examples — pigs,  ducks,  eels,  etc.)  But  the  Lord  had  once 
said  that  it  was  not  the  things  which  a  man  ate  that  made 
him  unclean,  but  what  he  thought.  However,  St.  Peter 
had  forgotten  this.  Sometimes,  certainly.  Gentiles  were 
admitted  into  the  Jewish  Church,  but  they  had  to  become 
Jews  first,  as  it  were,  and  go  through  certain  ceremonies  and 
keep  the  law  of  Moses  carefully. 

1.  Cornelius'  Prayer. — There  Uved  in  the  garrison  town 
of  Caesarea  a  devout  Roman  soldier  named  Cornelius.  He 
was  a  centurion  in  the  Italian  Cohort — i.e.,  he  was  what  we 
should  call  a  captain,  and  had  a  hundred  men  under  him. 
He  was  not  a  Jew,  but  he  worshipped  God  as  well  as  he 
could,  praying  a  great  deal  and  giving  many  alms.  One 
day,  at  the  time  of  the  evening  sacrifice,  an  angel  appeared 

10 


146  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

to  him,  and  called  him  by  name,  "  Cornelius."     (Narrate 
chapter  x.  4-8.) 

2.  St.  Peter's  Vision. — St.  Peter  was  going  round  visiting 
the  Christians  in  the  outlying  towns.  On  the  second  day 
after  CorneUus'  vision  he  went  up  to  the  house-top  to 
pray  in  the  middle  of  the  day,  as  the  Jewish  custom  was. 
The  flat  roof  made  a  quiet  garden,  with  flowering  plants 
placed  here  and  there;  it  was  usual  to  rest  there  and  even 
sleep  there  in  hot  weather. 

St.  Peter  was  hungry;  probably  he  had  had  no  food  that 
day ;  he  asked  for  some,  and  while  it  was  being  prepared  he 
saw  a  wonderful  vision.     (Narrate  graphically  verses  1 1-22.) 

Ordinarily  St.  Peter  would  have  felt  that  he  could  not 
associate  with  these  men,  for  they  were  Gentiles;  but  the 
vision  altered  everything.  He  invited  them  to  stay  in  the 
house  with  him,  and  no  doubt  ate  with  them — he  had  never 
sat  down  to  table  with  GentUes  before.  But  had  not  the 
Holy  Spirit  Himself  said  that  He  had  sent  them  ?  Next 
day  he  went  with  them  to  Joppe;  it  was  a  two  days'  journey, 
about  thirty  miles.  He  must  have  thought  a  great  deal 
as  he  walked  along — it  seemed  that  Gentiles  were  to  be 
admitted  to  the  Church,  that  it  was  not  for  the  Jews  only, 
as  he  had  supposed. 

3.  Cornelius  received  into  the  Church. — Cornehus  had 
told  a  slave  to  watch  for  the  coming  of  St.  Peter,  probably 
just  outside  the  city  gate,  and  when  he  saw  them  approach- 
ing he  went  and  told  his  master,  who  hurried  out  and  met 
the  Apostle  at  the  city  gate,  flinging  himself  on  the  ground 
before  him  as  if  to  worship  him.  But  St.  Peter  said :  "  Arise ! 
What  are  you  doing  ?  I  myself  also  am  a  man"  (Bezan 
text).  Then,  talking  together,  they  walked  to  Cornehus' 
house,  and  there  found  many  of  Cornehus'  friends,  whom 
he  had  summoned.  Then  St.  Peter  said:  "  You  know  that 
it  is  not  usual  for  a  Jew  to  have  anything  to  do  with  any 
one  who  is  not  a  Jew,  but  God  has  shown  me  that  I  must 
not  call  any  man  unclean;  therefore  I  came  when  I  was 
sent  for,  but  why  did  you  send  for  me  ?"     (Narrate  verses 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  147 

30-33.)  Then  St.  Peter  said,  "I  see  that  God  chooses  men 
from  all  nations  to  belong  to  Him.  Jesus  Christ  is  Lord  of 
all."  And  then  he  taught  them  about  the  life  and  death 
and  resurrection  of  our  Lord,  and  about  the  Church. 
While  he  was  speaking  the  Holy  Ghost  suddenly  descended 
upon  CorneUus  and  his  friends.  Then  the  Jewish  Christians 
who  had  come  with  St.  Peter  from  Joppe  were  amazed 
beyond  words  to  see  that  God  had  given  the  Holj^  Spirit 
to  Gentiles.     (Continue  in  words  of  verses  47,  48. ) 

4.  The  Church  discovered  to  be  Catholic— When  St.  Peter 
returned  to  Jerusalem  he  found  the  Christians  there  very 
upset.  They  had  heard  that  he  had  admitted  Gentiles 
into  the  Church,  and  had  mixed  with  them  on  friendly 
terms,  and  they  could  not  understand  it.  They  thought 
that  the  Christian  Church  was  for  them  alone,  as  the  Jewish 
Church  had  been.  Then  St.  Peter  told  them  all  that  had 
come  to  pass.  He  explained  that  God  Himself  had  admitted 
the  Gentiles  into  the  Church,  by  giving  them  the  Holy 
Spirit;  so  clearly  the  Church  was  for  all  nations,  it  was 
universal — that  is,  Catholic.  Then  all  the  Christians  gave 
glory  to  God. 

Association. — Let  the  class  recount  how  St.  Peter  was 
shown  that  the  Church  was  to  be  CathoHc,  and  what  he 
did  when  he  had  learnt  this. 

Memory  Work.— Cat.  97,  98. 

Expression  Work. — Draw  the  vision  of  the  sheet. 

Tv  rite  why  the  "middle  wall  of  partition"  was  now  useless- 

Describe  how  Cornelius  became  a  Christian. 

The  Marks  of  the  Chukch  (continued):  3.  Catholic; 
4.  Apostolic. 

47.— Lesson  Subject :  The  Church  and  the  World; 
St.  Paul  the  Missionary  (I). 
References. — Acts  xi.  19-30,  xiii.,  xiv.,  xv.  1-3L 
Apparatus.— Map   showing   St.    Paul's   first   missionary 
journey. 


148  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

Aim. — To  show  St.  Paul  helping  to  found  the  Church 
and  to  make  it  Catholic. 

Note  to  the  Teacher. — The  two  following  lessons  aim  at 
showing  the  Church  to  be  both  CathoUc  and  Apostolic. 
As  the  last  lesson  showed  St.  Peter  as  Head  of  the  Church 
admitting  the  Gentiles,  so  these  aim  at  showing  St.  Paul  as 
a  trained  statesman  working  out  the  consequences.  He 
foresaw  an  imperial  and  universal  Church,  on  the  lines  of 
the  Roman  Empire.  No  attempt  is  here  made  to  give  a  full 
account  of  his  work,  which  is  beyond  the  grasp  of  children 
of  this  age,  but  merely  to  select  dramatic  incidents  which 
illustrate  the  Catholic  and  Apostolic  character  of  the  Church. 

Introduction. — Put  up  a  large  map,  ask  where  we  left 
Saul;  let  a  scholar  find  Tarsus. 

Presentation  :  1.  St.  Paul  sent  to  the  Gentiles.— Saul  re- 
mained at  Tarsus  for  several  years,  waiting  until  the  Lord 
should  tell  him  what  to  do.  One  day  an  old  friend  of  his 
suddenly  appeared,  St.  Barnabas — it  is  thought  that  they 
were  at  college  together.  St.  Barnabas  had  come  with  a  call 
to  work;  there  were  a  great  many  Gentile  Christians  by 
this  time  at  Antioch  (show  on  map) — would  Saul  come 
and  help  him  look  after  them  ?  Saul  went  gladty.  He 
and  St.  Ecirnabas  worked  there  for  some  time,  and  then 
the  Holy  Spirit  spoke  to  the  church  at  Antioch,  saying: 
"  Separate  me  Saul  and  Barnabas  for  the  work  whereto 
I  have  called  them."  So  the  church  ordained  them  with 
the  laying  on  of  hands,  and  the  apostles  started  out,  not 
knowing  exactly  where  they  were  to  go,  but  guided  by  the 
Holy  Spirit.  But  Saul  knew  one  thing,  that  he  was  to 
go  to  the  Gentiles  (ask  how  he  knew  this).  So  he  took  ship 
from  Seleucia  (show  on  map),  and  sailed  across  to  Cyprus. 
Now  he  was  in  Roman  territory  and  therefore  he  began  to 
use  his  Roman  name — Paul.  He  is  never  called  Saul  again, 
because  his  work  henceforward  was  chiefly  among  the 
Gentiles. 

2.  St.  Paul  preaches  to  the  Gentiles. — The  Holy  Spirit 
had  chosen  St.  Paul  for  a  special  purpose.     Just  as  when 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  149 

you  wish  to  make  something  you  look  in  your  tool  chest 
(or  your  work-basket),  for  the  exact  tool  (or  needle)  which 
you  need,  so  the  Holy  Spirit  looks  through  the  world  for 
suitable  men  to  do  His  work.  The  twelve  Apostles  had 
no  thought  beyond  Palestine,  they  knew  nothing  of  the 
great  world;  but  St.  Paul  was  a  citizen  of  the  Roman 
Empire,  and  the  Roman  Empire  spread  all  over  the  civilised 
world.  (Show  a  map  of  it  if  possible.)  That  helped 
St.  Paul  to  understand  what  Christ's  Empire,  the  Church, 
would  be  hke.  And  the  centre  of  the  Empire  was  Rome; 
St.  Paul  determined  to  go  to  Rome  one  day.  Meanwhile, 
"  all  roads  led  to  Rome,"  and  St.  Paul  took  the  nearest 
one.  (Say  how  true  this  was — mention  any  Roman  road 
of  the  neighbourhood,  and  explain  briefly  that  roads  were 
cut  straight  across  the  vast  Empire  to  connect  it  with  Rome.) 

St.  Paul  made  a  preaching  tour  through  Cyprus,  and  at 
last  came  to  Paphos,  where  the  proconsul  lived;  he  sent 
for  the  apostles,  wishing  to  hear  the  word  of  God;  narrate 
vividly  ch.  xiii.  8-12.  Discuss  the  incident  with  the  class, 
leading  them  to  see  that  the  devil  would  naturally  be  up 
in  arms  against  the  Church,  just  as  he  was  against  the 
Church's  Founder. 

Tell  briefly  how  they  journeyed  to  Pisidian  Antioch, 
and  how  St.  Paul  was  invited  to  preach  in  the  synagogue. 
He  preached  a  wonderful  sermon,  explaining  that  the 
Promised  One  had  come,  telling  them  all  about  the  Lord 
Jesus.  They  asked  him  to  preach  again  on  the  following 
Sabbath,  and  meanwhile  many  Jews  and  devout  Gentiles 
came  to  him  for  further  instruction.  On  the  next  Sabbath 
the  whole  city  was  there,  among  them  very  many  Jews 
who  refused  to  beheve  St.  Paul,  and  openly  contradicted 
him.  (Continue  in  the  words  of  verses  46,  47.)  Then 
the  Gentiles  were  very  glad;  but  the  Jews  made  it  impossible 
for  St.  Paul  and  St.  Barnabas  to  remain  there,  and  they 
went  on  to  Iconium.  Tell  how  they  preached  in  Iconium, 
but  were  presently  driven  out  by  a  plot  to  stone  them, 
so   they   went   on   to   Lystra    and   Derbe   and   preached 


150  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

throughout  the  countryside  (show  the  towns  on  the  map). 
Narrate  vividly  ch.  xiv.  7-19.  Let  the  class  discuss  these 
fresh  examples  of  the  devil's  antagonism. 

Then  St.  Paul  and  St.  Barnabas,  despite  the  risk  to 
themselves,  went  back  to  all  those  towns  where  they  had 
left  converts  to  found  churches  there  for  them.  They  had 
baptized  and  confirmed  their  converts,  but  had  had  no 
time  to  ordain  priests;  now  they  went  back,  and  in  every 
town  where  they  had  left  Christians  they  ordained  priests, 
and  gave  them  careful  directions  as  to  what  they  were  to 
believe  and  do.  (Show  towns  on  map.)  Then  they  re- 
turned to  Antioch  whence  they  had  started,  and  told  the 
Christians  there  how  God  had  opened  the  door  of  faith  to 
the  Gentiles. 

3.  St.  Paul  fights  for  the  Gentiles.— While  St.  Paul  and 
St.  Barnabas  were  resting  and  rejoicing  at  the  thought  of 
their  new  churches,  some  Jewish  Christians  came  down  from 
Judea  and  upset  everything.  "  Unless  you  keep  the  law 
of  Moses  as 'well  as  the  law  of  Christ,"  they  said,  "you 
cannot  be  saved."  St.  Paul  was  up  in  arms  at  once;  he 
saw  how  impossible  this  would  be,  and  how  unnecessary 
and  foolish.  He  knew  how  the  Roman  Empire  was  run; 
he  knew  that  it  was  made  up  of  different  races  (like  the 
British  Empire  is  to-day),  and  that  they  were  joined  together 
by  their  loyalty  to  the  Emperor,  not  by  all  dressing  alike  and 
doing  exactly  the  same  things.  (Draw  a  flower  bud  on  the 
board.)  St.  Paul  knew  that  the  Jewish  Church  was  bound 
by  the  law  of  Moses  as  the  flower  bud  is  bound  by  its  sheath. 
Moses'  laws  were  very,  very  necessary  because  of  the  wild 
heathen  nations  among  whom  the  Jews  lived,  just  as  the 
sheath  of  the  bud  is  necessary  at  first :  but  he  also  knew  that 
the  Sun  of  Righteousness  had  arisen  and  the  bud  had  burst 
into  bloom  (draw  on  board),  and  could  no  longer  be  held  by 
the  sheath.  To  tie  it  in  was  to  kill  it,  to  prevent  it  coming 
to  perfection.  A  world-wide  Church  could  not  be  bound  by 
all  the  details  of  the  Mosaic  law.  So  St.  Paul  went  up  to 
Jerusalem  to  meet  the  apostles  and  to  discuss  the  matter 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  151 

thoroughly,  Fortunately,  St.  Peter  was  there.  He  had 
been  away  on  missionary  journeys,  and  had  founded 
churches  at  Antioch  and  at  Rome,  but  he  was  back  in 
Jerusalem  at  the  moment. 

The  Church  assembled  in  council — St.  Peter  the  head, 
bishops  and  priests — the  first  Church  Council  that  ever  was 
held,  and  the  most  important.  Both  sides  put  forth  their 
views,  and  there  was  a  good  deal  of  dispute.  Then  St.  Peter 
got  up.  He  reminded  them  that  God  had  chosen  him  to 
open  the  door  to  the  Gentiles,  and  had  Himself  given  them 
the  Holy  Spirit,  and  so  the  matter  was  really  settled.  It 
was  quite  evident  that  He  did  not  intend  them  to  become 
Jews  first. 

Everyone  sat  silent  after  St.  Peter  had  spoken. 

Then  St.  James,  as  Bishop  of  Jerusalem,  summed  up  the 
matter.  The  Gentiles  were  not  to  keep  the  law  of  Moses, 
but  simply  to  observe  carefully  the  law  of  the  Church. 

And  this  decree  the  apostles  joyfully  took  back  to  Antioch. 
The  Church  now  could  spread  and  increase. 

Association. — Let  the  class  discuss  why  they  think  that 
the  Holy  Spirit  chose  St.  Paul  as  the  Apostle  of  the  Gentiles. 

Memory  Work.— Cat.  99. 

Expression  Work. — Write  an  account  of  one  of  St.  Paul's 
missionary  adventures. 

Say  why  St.  Paul  returned  to  the  places  where  he  had 
left  converts. 

Draw  symbols  of  the  Jewish  and  Christian  Churches 
(bud  and  bloom). 

The  Marks  of  the  Church  (continued) : 
Catholic  and  Apostolic. 

48.— Lesson  Subject :  The  Church  and  the  World ; 
St.  Paul  the  Missionary  (11.). 

References. — Acts  xvi.  13-15,  xviii.  2-11,  xix.,  xxi.,  xxii., 
xxvii.,  xxviii. 

Apparatus. — Map  showing  second  and  third  missionary 
journeys. 


152  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

Aim. — As  in  preceding  lesson. 

Note  to  the  Teacher. — If  thought  better  this  lesson  may 
be  divided  into  two,  the  first  one  ending  with  Presentation  2. 
If  taken  as  a  whole,  it  should  be  remembered  that  the  aim 
is  not  to  give  details  for  remembrance,  but  to  convey  a 
vivid  impression  of  the  march  of  events  which  culminated 
in  St.  Paul's  arrival  at  Rome,  his  goal,  the  attainment  of 
which  the  devil  had  striven  so  hard  to  prevent. 

Introduction. — Refer  to  the  last  lesson;  ask  what  St.  Paul 
would  continue  to  do. 

Presentation  :  1.  St.  Paul's  Missionary  Work. — St.  Paul 
went  on  with  his  work  among  the  Gentiles  even  more 
eagerl}^  than  before.  He  spent  the  next  six  or  seven  years 
travelling  from  town  to  town,  spending  some  time  in  each, 
teaching  the  people  and  founding  churches.  When  he  had 
settled  in  a  town  people  came  in  from  all  the  countryside 
to  hear  him,  and  he  went  out  to  them,  and  so  he  made  the 
people  Christian  all  around.  (Illustrate  by  writing  the 
name  of  a  local  town  on  the  board,  and  indicating  neigh- 
bouring towns  and  villages.) 

One  day  St.  Paul  came  to  Philippi,  an  important  Roman 
colony.  (Show  on  map.)  Guessing  that  he  would  find 
the  Jews  of  the  place  worshipping  by  the  riverside,  that 
being  their  custom  when  there  was  no  synagogue  in  the 
town,  St.  Paul  went  out  there  on  the  Sabbath  Day  and 
preached  to  them  ;  he  always  spoke  to  the  Jews  first 
because  they  were  God's  chosen  people.  Among  the  con- 
gregation there  was  a  rich  shop-woman  of  the  town,  named 
Lydia  ;  she  listened  eagerly,  and  beHeved.  She  and  her 
whole  household  were  baptized,  and  she  begged  St.  Paul 
and  his  companions  to  stay  in  her  house.  They  consented, 
and  it  became  a  meeting-place  for  the  Christians,  the  first 
church  in  Philippi.     (Omit  the  rest  of  the  chapter.) 

Presently  St.  Paul  moved  on,  leaving  many  converts 
behind  him,  but  he  never  forgot  them ;  he  visited  them  again, 
and  he  wrote  them  a  wonderful  letter.  (Let  the  class  find 
it  in  their  Bibles.) 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  153 

Another  day  St.  Paul  came  to  Corinth  (show  on  map), 
and  there  he  found  two  Christian  Jews  from  Rome;  all 
Jews  had  recently  been  forced  to  leave  Rome  by  an  order 
from  the  Emperor.  It  was  delightful  to  St.  Paul  to  meet 
anyone  from  Rome — that  was  where  he  was  longing  to  go 
himself,  that  was  where  he  meant  to  go  as  soon  as  it  was 
possible.  Aquila  and  Priscilla  were  tentmakers,  too,  Hke 
St.  Paul,  for  he  always  worked  at  his  trade  now,  earning 
his  hving  so  that  he  should  not  be  burdensome  to  his 
converts — it  is  thought  that  he  lost  all  his  money  by  becom- 
ing a  Christian.  As  usual,  St.  Paul  went  first  to  the 
synagogue  and  taught,  but  the  Jews  would  have  nothing 
to  do  with  him,  so  he  said  to  them:  "  I  shall  go  unto  the 
Gentiles  instead,  then."  And  he  took  a  room  in  a  house 
next  door  to  the  synagogue  and  made  it  into  a  church. 
We  can  imagine  how  extremely  angry  that  made  the  Jews  ! 
(Continue  in  words  of  xviii.  8-11.  TeU  the  class  that  St. 
Paul  wrote  two  letters  to  this  Church,  and  let  them  find 
them.) 

Another  day  St.  Paul  came  to  Ephesus.  There  he  found 
a  great  deal  to  do.  He  found  some  who  beheved  in  the 
Lord  Jesus.     (Continue  in  words  of  xix.  2-7.) 

Every  Sabbath  Day  St.  Paul  preached  in  the  synagogue, 
until  the  Jews  made  it  impossible  for  him,  and  then  he 
hired  a  lecture-hall,  and  preached  there  every  afternoon 
when  the  people  were  free  from  work.  He  himself  worked 
at  his  trade  all  the  morning.  St.  Paul  stayed  there  for 
two  years,  converting  all  the  country  round.  (Continue 
in  words  of  xix.  11-20.)  Then  St.  Paul  made  up  his 
mind  to  return  to  Jerusalem  once  more,  saying  to  himself 
longingly:  "  After  I  have  been  there  I  must  see  Rome  also." 
(Let  the  class  find  the  Epistle  to  the  Ephesians.) 

2.  St.  Paul  at  Jerusalem. — The  Holy  Spirit  had  told 
St.  Paul  to  go  up  to  Jerusalem,  and  also  that  troubles 
awaited  him  there,  but  he  was  not  afraid :  he  knew  that  the 
Lord  was  with  him.  He  meant  to  get  to  Rome  if  he  could, 
but  things  fell  out  very  differently  from  what  he  intended . 


154  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

After  a  very  difficult  journe}^  St.  Paul  arrived  in  Jerusar 
lem,  and  went  to  see  St.  James,  and  told  him  about  all  the 
Gentile  Christians.  St.  James  was  dehghted,  but  he 
warned  St.  Paul  of  possible  trouble.  "  You  see,"  he  said, 
"  there  are  thousands  of  Christian  Jews,  and  they  have 
heard  that  you  are  teaching  the  Gentiles  not  to  obey  the 
law  of  Moses,  and  they  don't  like  it,  they  think  that  you  are 
only  half  a  Jew  yourself;  I  am  afraid  that  you  will  have 
trouble  with  them."  Then  he  advised  St.  Paul  to  go  to  the 
Temple  with  four  Jews  and  go  through  a  pubUc  ceremony 
mth  them — it  meant  a  lot  of  trouble  and  expense,  many 
sacrifices  had  to  be  offered,  but  St.  Paul  agreed  to  do  it; 
it  would  prove  that  he  was  a  loyal  Jew  himself,  though  he 
did  not  want  the  Gentiles  to  become  Jews.  Now  St.  Paul 
had  some  Greek  friends  with  him  at  Jerusalem,  and  when 
his  enemies  saw  him  walking  in  the  Temple  with  the  four 
Jews  they  raised  a  riot  and  said  that  he  was  walking  there 
with  Greeks,  and  there  was  a  tremendous  uproar ;  they  seized 
St.  Paul  and  dragged  him  out  of  the  Temple  to  kill  him 
(let  the  class  recall  the  inscription  on  the  wall  of  partition). 
But  the  Roman  rulers  of  the  city  were  prepared  for  uproars 
like  this,  and  so  they  had  built  a  castle  adjoining  the  Temple 
courts.  The  soldiers  on  guard  sent  word  to  the  Com- 
mandant that  the  city  was  in  an  uproar,  and  taking  a 
strong  force  of  soldiers  the  Commandant  himself  came  down 
from  the  castle,  thrust  back  the  people  and  rescued  St.  Paul; 
he  thought  that  he  was  a  certain  Egyptian  who  had  been 
giving  trouble  and  was  wanted  by  the  government,  so  he 
was  glad  to  capture  him.  The  Commandant  had  him 
bound  with  two  chains,  and  inquired  what  he  had  done, 
but  he  could  not  make  anything  out  from  the  cries  of  the 
people,  and  so  he  ordered  St.  Paul  to  be  taken  into  the 
castle;  but  as  he  was  led  up  the  stairs  the  crowd  made  a  rush 
at  him,  and  the  soldiers  had  to  lift  him  over  their  heads 
out  of  reach.  Then  St.  Paul  obtained  permission  to  preach 
one  last  sermon  to  the  Jews,  but  it  was  useless.  (Continue 
in  words  of  xxii.  24-30.)     TeU  how  after  this  St.  Paul 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  155 

was  tried  by  council  after  council  and  kept  in  prison  for 
two  years,  until  at  last  he  appealed  to  Caesar,  and  then  they 
had  to  send  him  to  Rome  to  be  tried.  So  St.  Paul  was 
going  to  Rome  at  last,  but  as  a  prisoner. 

3.  St.  Paul  goes  to  Rome. — St.  Paul  was  sent  to  Rome 
under  a  guard  of  soldiers ;  it  was  late  in  the  sailing  season, 
so  they  could  not  get  a  through  boat,  but  had  to  change 
ships  at  Lystra,  where  they  found  an  Imperial  corn  ship 
going  straight  to  Rome.  The  centurion  in  charge  felt 
that  they  were  in  luck's  way.  But  no  sooner  had  they 
started  than  they  found  it  was  going  to  be  a  rough  voyage, 
the  stormj^  autumn  winds  had  begun  to  blow,  and  they 
had  to  crawl  slowly  round  the  coast  instead  of  sailing 
straight  across  the  sea.  At  last  they  reached  a  harbour, 
and  there  St.  Paul  warned  them  that  there  would  be  danger 
in  going  on,  but  because  it  was  not  a  good  place  to  winter 
in  the  centurion  believed  the  captain  of  the  ship  rather 
than  St.  Paul,  and  they  started  again.  At  first  it  seemed 
as  if  the  sailors  were  right,  a  gentle  breeze  sprang  up  and 
helped  them,  but  very  soon  a  terrific  hurricane  burst  upon 
them  and  swept  the  ship  before  it,  helpless.  They  reefed 
the  sails  in  haste  arid  let  her  drive.  Then  they  managed 
to  run  under  the  lee  of  a  small  island,  and  here  hoisted  up 
the  ship's  boat  which  had  been  in  tow,  and  passed  cables 
underneath  the  ship  to  keep  the  timbers  from  starting 
in  the  strain  of  the  storm.  Then  they  drifted  with  as  little 
sail  set  as  possible;  but  the  storm  increased,  and  they  had 
to  throw  overboard  most  of  the  corn,  and  everything  else 
which  could  be  spared.  Day  after  day  they  drifted  so,  the 
storm-clouds  blackened  the  sky  and  they  could  see  neither 
sun  nor  stars,  and  did  not  know  where  they  were.  Every- 
thing was  disorganised,  no  food  was  prepared,  everyone 
was  faint  with  hunger  and  none  expected  to  be  saved.  It 
looked  as  if  St.  Paul  would  never  reach  Rome.  But  he 
knew  better.  (Continue  in  words  of  xxvii.  21-26.)  After 
fourteen  days  of  this  awful  storm  the  sailors  thought  that 
they  were  near  land,   and  sounded  (explain),   and  found 


156  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

it  was  so,  and  therefore  anchored  to  wait  for  day,  lest  they 
should  be  driven  on  the  rocks  in  the  darkness.  TeU  how 
St.  Paul  prevented  the  sailors'  escape  by  warning  the 
soldiers  (verses  30-32),  and  how  he  persuaded  them  to 
take  some  food,  and  they  were  encouraged  by  his  example 
and  did  so.  Describe  the  rest  of  the  chapter  vividly,  parti- 
cularly noting  St.  Paul's  narrow  escape  from  being  killed 
by  the  soldiers.  (Narrate  xxviii.  1-6.)  Tell  briefly  that 
thej^  remained  in  the  island  for  three  months,  and  that 
St.  Paul  healed  all  who  were  sick,  and  then  they  found  a 
ship  sailing  for  Rome. 

4.  St.  Paul  at  Rome. — Let  the  class  recall  all  the  attempts 
made  to  stop  St.  Paul  going  to  Rome;  ask  who  prompted 
them,  and  why. 

Tell  how  St.  Paul  lived  for  two  years  in  a  house  of  his 
own  at  Rome,  but  chained  all  the  time  to  a  Roman  soldier. 
Tell  how  he  taught  the  Christians,  helping  to  found  the 
Church  in  Rome.  Remind  the  class  that  the  Feasts  of 
SS.  Peter  and  Paul  are  kept  together.  Say  that  he  was  at 
last  brought  up  before  the  Emperor  for  trial,  and  with  all 
his  learning  and  training  was  able  to  make  a  splendid 
defence  for  Christianity  and  so  was  acquitted ;  which  meant 
that  the  Emperor  considered  it  lawful  to  he  a  Christian. 
St.  Paul  had  won  the  first  great  victory  for  the  Church 
against  the  world.  Now  we  know  why  the  devil  tried  to 
prevent  St.  Paul  going  to  Rome. 

Association. — Let  the  class  recall  what  St.  Paul  learnt 
about  the  Church  when  he  was  persecuting  it — One. 
What  he  learnt  when  he  was  a  Christian — Holy.  What 
SS.  Peter  and  Paul  were  both  shown  when  they  met  the 
Gentiles— Cathohc.  Who  founded  these  first  Churches  ?— 
the  Apostles;  therefore  we  call  the  Church  Apostolic  because 
our  present  bishops  are  descended  from  the  Apostles  and 
teach  exactly  what  they  taught.  Ask  for  the  name  of  the 
Creed  which  we  are  learning. 

Generalisation. — Lead  the  class  to  arrive  at  the  generali- 
sation that  the  Church  is  One,  Holy,  Catholic,  ApostoHc. 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  157 

Memory  Work.— Cat.  94. 

Expression  Work. — Print  the  marks  of  the  Church. 

Describe  St.  Paul's  journey  to  Rome,  in  writing,  or 
drawing,  or  by  a  picture- map. 

Write:  why  it  was  so  important  that  St.  Paul  should  go 
to  Rome. 

The  Door  of  the  Church. 
49. — Lesson  Subject :  St.  Philip  and  the  Ethiopian. 

References. — Acts  viii.  26-39;  Isa.  liii.  7-8;  St.  Matt,  xxviii. 
19,  vii.  7. 

Apparatus. — A  map  showing  Palestine  and  Egypt.  Any 
pictures  of  Egyptian  gods. 

Aim. — To  show  that  Baptism  is  the  door  of  the  Church, 
and  how  the  Eunuch  entered  it. 

Introduction. — Put  up  a  picture  of  Egyptian  gods;  let 
the  children  tell  what  they  know  of  them,  or  of  heathen 
idols.  Lead  them  to  see  that  such  things  are  worshipped 
because  their  worshippers  do  not  know  of  the  true  God. 

Presentation  :  1.  The  Eunuch  searches  for  the  Door  of 
the  Church. — Show  a  point  on  the  map  south  of  Egypt, 
say  that  hereabouts  was  a  kingdom  called  Meroe,  governed 
by  queens  who  were  always  called  Candace,  as  the  Emperors 
of  Germany  were  called  Kaiser,  and  the  Kings  of  Egypt 
Pharaoh.  Describe  the  life  at  court,  great  pomp,  splendid 
buildings,  elaborate  idol  worship.  (It  is  thought  that  it 
would  be  much  like  the  life  and  worship  of  Egypt. )  Describe 
the  queen's  trusted  servant,  a  very  good  man,  who  felt 
that  these  idols  were  no  gods,  and  longed  to  find  the  true 
God.  Tell  how  he  hears  of  the  Jewish  faith,  and  obtains 
some  of  the  Holy  Scriptures,  eagerly  reads  them,  feels  that 
here  is  the  true  God,  longs  to  know  more  about  Him, 
worships  him  as  well  as  he  can,  prays  to  Him.  (Let  the 
children  suggest  the  prayer  he  might  use — a  stranger  who 
wanted  to  be  one  of  the  Lord's  people.)  He  has  a  great 
longing  to  go  up  to  Jerusalem  and  keep  one  of  the  feasts 


158  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

of  which  he  has  read  in  the  Bible.  Picture  him  asking 
permission  from  the  queen,  and  starting  on  his  journey 
with  his  retinue  of  servants.  Show  the  journey  on  map- 
Suggest  his  wonder  and  delight  on  coming  in  sight  of 
Jerusalem.  Describe  how  he  would  be  present  in  the  Court 
of  the  Gentiles,  and  would  long  to  pass  the  barriers  and  enter 
the  inner  courts,  and  feel  that  he  really  belonged  to  the  true 
God.  Say  that  the  feast  he  attended  was  probably 
Pentecost;  describe  the  rejoicing  and  offering  of  the  first- 
fruits.  Explain  that  aU  this  took  place  about  the  time  of 
the  conversion  of  St.  Paul. 

2.  The  Eunuch  at  the  Door  of  the  Church. — Describe  the 
return  journey,  picture  the  Eunuch  filled  with  unsatisfied 
longings,  reading  the  Scriptures  to  try  and  get  nearer  the 
truth.  Let  the  class  find  Isa.  liii.  7,  8;  say  that  he  was 
reading  that  passage  and  could  not  understand  it.  Ask  the 
children  to  Whom  it  alludes,  and  how  it  is  that  we  under- 
stand it.  Let  them  tell  how  this  prophecy  had  been  ful- 
filled so  recently  in  that  very  city  which  the  Ethiopian  had 
just  left,  and  yet  he  knew  nothing  about  it  all.  He  was 
getting  well  on  his  return  journey  by  this  time,  and  was 
just  passing  through  the  old  ruined  city  of  Gaza;  it  looked 
as  if  his  journey  to  Jerusalem  had  been  of  no  avail. 

3.  The  Eunuch  enters  the  Church.— But  the  Lord  had 
heard  the  Ethiopian  knocking  at  the  door.  (Let  the  class 
find  St.  Matt.  vii.  7.)  An  angel  of  the  Lord  told  St.  Phihp, 
one  of  the  Seven,  to  go  down  to  the  old  deserted  city  of 
Gaza,  on  the  highroad  to  Egypt.  He  went  at  once,  and  he 
met  there  the  Ethiopian  returning  from  Jerusalem,  reading 
the  prophet  Isaias  and  longing  for  someone  to  explain  it 
to  him.  The  Holy  Spirit  said  to  Philip:  "Go  near,  and 
join  thyself  to  this  chariot."  (Continue  in  the  words  of 
Acts  viii.  30-38.)  Let  elder  children  find  St.  Matt,  xxviii. 
19,  and  read  the  baptismal  words  which  St.  Philip  used. 
Explain  that  through  baptism  the  Ethiopian  had  entered 
the  Holy  Catholic  Church.  He  had  not  only  gained  all 
he  longed  for,  the  privileges  of  the.  Jews,  but  much  more  as 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  159 

well.  God  was  now  his  Father,  and  the  Lord  Jesus  his 
Saviour,  and  the  Holy  Spirit  his  guide  and  friend.  He 
would  now  always  have  the  guide  he  sought  (verse  31). 

Association. — Let  the  class  recall  all  those  of  whose 
baptism  they  have  lately  heard;  write  the  names  on  the 
board  as  they  give  them.  Question  them  on  the  baptism 
of  their  little  brothers  and  sisters,  or  any  baptism  they  have 
seen.     Lead  up  to  the  generahsation : 

Baptism  is  the  Door  of  the  Church. 

Memory  Work.— Cat.  83,  84,  85. 

Expression  Work. — Draw  or  write  the  story. 

Print  and  illuminate  the  generalisation. 

Make  a  symboHc  picture  of  the  Door  of  the  Church,  or 
draw  a  font. 

The  Guides  of  the  Church. 
50.— Lesson  Subject :  The  Israelites  in  the  Wilderness. 

References. — Exod.  xiv.,  xvii.  8-16,  xviii.,  xix.  1-8  ; 
Num.  X.  34,  xiv.,  xxi.  4-9. 

Apparatus. — Map  of  the  Wanderings,  sketches  on  B.B. 
as  lesson  proceeds. 

Aim. — To  give  a  clear  idea  of  the  Wanderings  in  the 
Wilderness,  so  that  the  class  may  afterwards  be  able  to  see 
the  resemblance  between  the  Israelites  and  the  Church. 

Introduction. — Show  the  map,  question  on  the  deliver- 
ance from  Egypt — i.e.,  that  Pharaoh  finally  consented  to 
let  the  people  go,  that  Moses  was  their  leader,  that  after 
the  Passover  they  started. 

Presentation  :  1.  The  Crossing  of  the  Red  Sea. — Point  to 
the  Red  Sea  on  the  map,  explain  that  they  could  not  enter 
upon  their  journey  to  the  Promised  Land  until  they  had 
crossed  it,  show  the  position  of  Chanaan.  Narrate  simply 
but  graphically  the  events  of  Exod.  xiv.,  bringing  out: 
the  definite  directions  given  by  the  Lord,  under  Whose 
guidance  Moses  was  acting  all  through;  the  Presence  of 
the  Lord  as  evidenced  by  the  cloud ;  the  rage  of  Pharaoh, 


160  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

who  would  stop  them  if  he  could;  the  powerlessness  of 
Pharaoh  to  reach  them  when  they  were  once  in  the  sea. 

2.  The  Fight  with  the  Amalekites.— Narrate  Exod.  xvii. 
8-16,  bringing  out:  that  the  Amalekites  attacked  them  at 
the  very  commencement  of  their  journey;  that  victory  was 
only  won  by  their  own  strenuous  efforts  helped  by  the 
prayer  of  Moses;  their  efforts  without  his  prayer,  or  his 
prayer  without  their  own  efforts,  would  have  been  useless; 
draw  this  from  the  class. 

3.  The  Choosing  of  the  Helpers.— Tell  of  the  visit  of 
Jethro  (Exod.  xviii.),  and  how  much  impressed  he  was  by 
all  he  saw  and  heard.  Describe  Moses'  work  and  tell  of 
Jethro's  advice  that  he  should  have  reUable  men  under 
him  to  help  him,  who  could  rule  by  his  authority,  and  refer 
all  important  matters  to  him. 

4.  The  Ratification  of  Moses'  Authority  by  God. — Narrate 
simply  Exod.  xix.  1-8.  Explain  that  Moses  was  then  given 
exact  directions  as  to  what  they  were  to  do,  and  where 
they  were  to  go,  and  that  as  long  as  they  followed  him  all 
went  well,  and  the  cloud  went  before  them;  but  whenever 
they  disobeyed  Moses  God  punished  them. 

5.  Moses  the  Leader  to  the  Promised  Land. — Narrate  Num. 
xiv.,  bringing  out:  the  discouragement  of  the  Israelites 
because  of  the  hardships  of  the  way;  the  failure  of  their 
faith;  the  faith  of  Josue  and  Caleb;  the  anger  of  the  Lord 
at  being  mistrusted;  their  punishment,  to  wander  in  the 
wilderness  forty  years  instead  of  marching  straight  on  to 
Chanaan;  their  foolhardiness  in  thinking  that  they  could 
win  through  without  Moses'  leadership;  their  utter  defeat, 

6.  Moses,  through  whom  is  given  Forgiveness  of  Sin. — 
Narrate  simply  and  vividly  Num.  xxi.  4-9.  Bring  out :  the 
f aint-heartedness  of  the  people  and  their  loss  of  faith ;  their 
speaking  against  God  and  against  Moses,  the  representa- 
tive of  God;  that  the  looking  at  the  serpent  was  both  an 
act  of  faith,  and  an  acknowledgment  of  sin  (really  simul- 
taneous acts  of  contrition,  confession,  and  amendment). 

Draw  a  cross  with  a  serpent  twined  around  it. 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  161 

Association. — Let   the   class   summarise   all   the   above 
incidents,  and  write  them  in  simple  headings  on  the  B.B 
as  they  give  them. 

Memory  Work. — "  The  Church  has  a  visible  head  on 
earth,  the  Bishop  of  Rome,  who  is  the  vicar  of  Christ  .  .  . 
because  he  is  the  successor  of  St.  Peter,  whom  Christ  ap- 
pointed to  be  head  of  the  Church.  The  Bishop  of  Rome 
is  called  the  Pope,  which  word  signifies  '  Father.'  The  Pope 
is  the  spiritual  father  of  aU  Christians.  He  is  the  head  of 
the  Christian  Church;  he  has  to  rule  and  guide  them  " 
(Cat.  86,  87,  89,  90). 

Expression  Work. — Describe  in  writing  or  drawing  any  of 
the  incidents  of  the  lesson. 

Print  the  B.B.  summary. 

Make  a  picture  map  of  the  events  of  the  lesson. 

51.— Lesson  Subject :  The  Church  in  the  World. 

References. — As  in  preceding  lesson,  and  Gen.  ii.  7; 
1  John  i.  7,  ii.  25;  St.  Luke  xii.  32;  Acts.  xiv.  21;  Apoc.  xxi. 
1-4,  22-27,  xxii.  1-5. 

Aim. — To  show  the  Church  as  marching  towards  the 
Promised  Land  under  the  Leaders  appointed  by  God. 

Note  to  the  Teacher. — Summarise  each  section  on  the 
blackboard. 

Introduction. — A  few  questions  on  the  preceding  lesson, 
bringing  out  that  the  Israelites,  by  the  command  of  God, 
marched  through  the  desert  to  the  Promised  Land  under 
the  leadership  of  Moses. 

Presentation  :  1.  The  Church  begins  her  March. — Just 
as  the  Israelites  began  their  march  to  the  Promised  Land 
after  the  Passover,  so  the  Catholic  Church  began  her  journey 
then.  Ask  the  class  when  the  Jewish  Passover  was  changed 
into  the  Christian  Passover.  Let  them  recaU  what  they 
have  learnt  about  the  Lord's  Supper :  that  the  Lord  Jesus 
was  the  true  Paschal  Lamb.  Then,  after  the  Lord  Jesus 
had  died  and  risen  again  from  the  dead,  He  came  to  the 

11 


162  i^AITH  AND  DUTY 

Apostles  on  Easter  Sunday  evening  and  trmde  them  into  the 
Church.  He  said  to  them:  "  As  the  Father  hath  sent  Me, 
I  also  send  you."  When  He  had  said  this  He  breathed  on 
them,  and  said  to  them:  "Receive  ye  the  Holy  Ghost. 
Whose  sins  you  shall  forgive,  they  are  forgiven  them :  and 
whose  sins  you  shall  retain,  they  are  retained."  Then 
the  Church  was  born.  (Let  elder  children  find  Gen.  ii.  7.) 
The  Gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit  on  Whit  Sunday  was  like  the 
shining  cloud  which  came  down  on  the  IsraeUtes,  and 
which  told  them  always  of  the  presence  of  God,  and  guided 
them  on  their  way. 

We  saw  how  Pharaoh  tried  to  prevent  the  children 
of  Israel  from  escaping,  after  all,  what  saved  them 
from  him  ?  Who  tries  to  prevent  us  escaping  from  him  ? 
(The  devil.)  There  is  a  Red  Sea  for  us  too,  in  which 
our  sins  are  washed  away,  and  so  we  are  freed  from 
the  devil,  and  by  passing  through  which  we  enter  the 
Church.  What  is  this  ?  (With  elder  children  show  that 
it  is  a  Red  Sea  too  for  us:  1  John  i.  7.)  But  what  is 
the  Promised  Land  of  the  Church  ?  (St.  Luke  xii.  32; 
1  John  ii.  25.) 

2.  The  Leaders  of  the  Church. — Ask  who  was  appointed 
by  God  to  lead  the  Israelites.  Explain  that  Moses  did 
not  lead  them  the  whole  way;  he  died,  and  his  place  was 
taken  by  Josue,  who  succeeded  to  his  office  and  authority. 
Ask  who  was  first  appointed  to  rule  the  Christian  Church, 
who  is  his  present  successor.  Recall  to  the  class  that 
Moses  found  the  details  of  government  too  much  for  one 
man ;  let  them  tell  of  Jethro's  plan.  Ask  who  helps 
the  Pope  now  (bishops  and  priests).  Explain  that  very 
important  matters  are  taken  to  the  Pope  to  settle,  just 
as  they  were  to  Moses,  and  that  as  God  taught  Moses  what 
to  say  and  do,  so  He  now  teaches  the  Holy  Father.  Add 
that  as  He  gave  Moses  directions  on  Mount  Sinai,  so  He 
has  given  our  leaders  a  book  of  written  directions,  a  map 
of  the  way;  ask  for  the  name  of  the  book.  He  also  teaches 
them  how  to  read  it,  for  map-reading  is  an  art  and  must 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  163 

be  learnt.     God  alone  can  teach  men  how  to  read  the  Bible, 
and  He  has  taught  the  Church. 

3.  The  Church's  Daily  Warfare. — Ask  who  attacked  the 
IsraeUtes  as  soon  as  they  began  to  cross  the  wilderness, 
let  the  class  recall  all  the  points  of  the  story.  Point  out 
the  resemblance  between  the  fight  with  the  Amalekites  and 
our  daily  fight  with  sin,  in  which  the  pra^^ers  of  the  Church 
win  the  victory  for  us,  especially  the  daily  Mass  offered  on 
thousands  of  altars  for  all  the  faithful.  Ask  what  will 
happen  if  we  simply  depend  upon  the  Church's  prayers 
without  making  any  e£fort  ourselves.  (Let  elder  children 
find  Actsxiv.  21.) 

4.  The  Church  the  Leader  to  the  Promised  Land.— Let 
the  class  recall  the  incidents  in  Num.  xiv.,  and  explain 
that  just  the  same  thing  happens  nowadays.  Let  the 
children  mention  some  local  Protestant  churches  and 
chapels.  Explain  that  those  who  attend  them  refuse  to 
believe  God's  promise  that  He  is  leading  the  Church,  they 
think  that  they  can  reach  the  Promised  Land  just  as  well 
without  Moses  as  with  him.  Explain,  however,  that  when 
they  really  know  no  better  God  himself  helps  them  to  reach 
the  Heavenly  Chanaan,  even  though  they  are  not  marching 
with  His  own  people. 

5.  The  Church  and  Forgiveness  of  Sins. — Let  the  class  re- 
call the  events  of  Num.  xxi.  4-9.  Ask  through  whom  God 
acts  when  He  forgives  us  our  sins.  Show  that  the  priest,  as  it 
were,  lifts  up  our  Blessed  Lord  on  the  Cross,  that  we  may 
turn  to  Him,  as  Moses  lifted  up  the  serpent  in  the  wilderness. 

6.  The  Goal  of  the  Church. — Tell  the  class  that  as  Josue 
and  Caleb  went  in  advance  to  Chanaan  and  returned  and 
told  the  Israehtes  what  the  Promised  Land  was  hke,  so  the 
Apostle  St.  John  has  told  us.  Ask  Who  showed  him  the 
vision  of  heaven,  and  when.  (Read  to  the  class  Apoc.  xxi. 
1-4,  22-27,  xxii.  1-5.) 

Association. — Recapitulate  the  B.B.  summary. 
Application. — Lead  the  class  to  make  some  such  aj)plica- 
tion  as  the  following:  As  we  are  members  of  the  Holy 


164  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

Catholic  Church  by  baptism,  we  must  obey  our  leaders, 
fight  our  enemies,  and  strive  to  reach  the  Promised  Land. 

Suggested  B.B.  Summary. 

The  IsraeUtes  escaped  from  Pharaoh  We  enter  the  Church  by  baptism. 

through  the  Red  Sea. 

Moses  and  his  helpers  led  them.  The  Pope  and  his  clergy  lead  us. 

They  fought  with  the  Amalekites  We  fight  with  the  devil  and  conquer 

and  conquered  by  prayer.  by  prayer. 

They  were  only  safe  with  Moses.  We  are  only  safe  with  the  Pope. 

They   were  saved  from  death   by  We  are  saved  from  sin  by  looking 

looking  at  the  brazen  serpent.  at  our  Lord. 

They  were  journeying  to  Chanaan.  We  are  journeying  to  heaven. 

Expression  Work. — Describe  how  the  Church  in  the  world 
is  like  the  Israehtes  in  the  wilderness. 
Memory  Work.— Cat.  92,  93. 


The  Food  of  the  Church. 

62.— Lesson  Subject :  The  Earthly  and  the  Heavenly 
Manna. 

References.— Exod.  xvi.;  St.  John  vi.  24-70;  St.  Matt, 
xxvi.  26-29;  3  Kings  xix.  1-8. 

Aim. — To  show  that  Holy  Communion  is  the  Food  of 
the  Church. 

Introduction. — One  or  two  questions  on  the  Wanderings 
in  the  Wilderness,  bringing  out  the  weariness  of  the  journey. 

Presentation  :  1.  The  Manna  in  the  Wilderness. — Narrate 
the  giving  of  the  manna  from  Exod.  xvi.,  bringing  out: 
the  desolation  of  the  wilderness  after  the  fertile  country  of 
Egypt;  the  hopeless,  faithless  feeling  of  the  IsraeHtes  that 
they  could  never  find  food  and  strength  foif  the  journey 
(omit  mention  of  the  quails,  as  irrelevant  matter).  Em- 
phasise the  promise  of  the  Lord  to  rain  "  bread  from 
heaven,"  and  Moses'  promise:  "  In  the  morning  you  shall 
Bee  the  glory  of  the  Lord."  Describe  small  white  grains 
of  manna,  which  covered  the  ground,  and  was  fresh 
every  morning.  Tell  how  the  Israelites  exclaimed, 
**Man  hu  ?"    "What  is  it?"  and  so  it  was  always  called 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  165 

Tell  of  the  ordinance  by  which  double  was 
to  be  gathered  before  the  Sabbath,  because  the  Lord  would 
not  have  His  laws  broken.  Tell  of  the  command  to  put 
some  manna  in  a  vessel  in  the  Tabernacle,  there  to  "  lay  it 
up  before  the  Lord"  to  keep  for  all  the  future  generations 
to  see.  Tell  how  the  manna  was  sent  daily  for  their  food 
until  they  reached  the  Promised  Land. 

2.  The  Manna  promised  by  Christ. — Let  the  class  recall 
the  feeding  of  the  five  thousand,  briefly  notice  its  miracu- 
lous character.  Tell  how  some  of  the  people  followed  the 
Lord  next  day,  hoping  to  be  fed  again,  and  our  Lord's  reproof 
(St.  John  vi.  26-27).  (Continue  in  the  words  of  St.  John  vi. 
28-35,  41-44,  47-52,  59.)  Then  those  who  did  not  believe 
on  the  Lord  were  very  angry  with  Him  for  speaking  of 
things  which  they  could  not  understand;  and  even  many 
of  His  disciples  left  Him :  their  faith  was  not  strong  enough 
to  believe  where  they  could  not  understand.  (Continue  in 
words  of  verses  68-70.)  It  was  St.  Peter,  the  head  of  the 
Cathohc  Church,  who  believed  in  the  Blessed  Sacrament, 
then  as  now.  Tell  the  class  that  ever  since  there  have 
been  these  three  classes  of  people :  the  worldly-minded,  who, 
like  the  Jews,  think  that  om*  Lord's  gift  of  Himself  in  the 
Blessed  Sacrament  is  quite  impossible,  and  it  makes  them 
furiously  angry  that  anyone  should  believe  it;  then  the 
Protestants  are  Hke  those  disciples  who  left  the  Lord  Jesus, 
because  they  would  not  believe;  they  want  to  think  that  the 
Lord  meant  that  He  would  give  them  Himself  spiritually, 
not  really ;  they  do  not  want  our  kind  of  Christianity,  and 
so  about  300  years  ago  thousands  of  people  left  the  Church 
and  founded  the  Protestant  Churches  (mention  some). 
Lastly,  there  are  the  Catholics,  and  they  follow  St.  Peter 
still:  "Lord,  to  whom  shall  we  go  ?  Thou  hast  the  words 
eternal  life."  Of  course  St.  Peter  could  not  understand^ 
but  he  could  believe. 

3.  The  Manna  given  by  Christ. — Let  the  class  tell  what 
they  know  of  the  Institution  of  the  Blessed  Sacrament. 
Read  St.  Matt.  xxvi.  26-29.     Show  that  this  is  our  food 


166  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

for  the  journey,  in  the  strength  of  which  we  can  reach 
the  Heavenly  Chanaan. 

Dlustration. — The  great  prophet  Elias  had  fled  into  the 
wilderness  from  the  wrath  of  Achab  and  Jezebel.  He  had 
striven  with  all  his  might  to  serve  the  Lord,  and  he  had 
just  slain  many  of  His  enemies  with  the  sword,  but  he 
felt  that  he  had  failed.  He  went  a  day's  journey  into  the 
wilderness,  and  resting  there  under  the  shade  of  a  juniper- 
tree  he  prayed  that  he  might  die.  Then  he  lay  down  in 
the  shadow  of  the  tree  and  slept.  And  when  he  was 
rested  an  angel  of  the  Lord  awoke  him,  and  said  to  him, 
"Arise  and  eat";  and  he  looked,  and  there  beside  him 
lay  a  cake  of  bread,  and  with  it  a  vessel  of  water.  So  he 
ate  and  drank  and  fell  asleep  again.  Then  the  angel  of 
the  Lord  came  again  the  second  time,  and  touched  him, 
saying,  "  Arise  and  eat,  because  the  journey  is  too  great 
for  thee."  And  he  arose,  and  did  eat  and  drink,  and  went 
in  the  strength  of  that  food  forty  days  and  forty  nights 
unto  Horeb,  the  mount  of  God  (3  Kings  xix.  1-8). 

Association. — Let  the  class  build  up  a  B.B.  summary, 
on  these  lines : 

The  Israelites  were  given  "bread  We  are  given  "  the  Bread  of  Life." 

from  heaven." 

It  was  fresh  every  morning.  We  are  given  "  daily  Bread." 

They  asked  "  Man  hu  ?"  The  world  asks  the  same  thing. 

Laws  ruled  the  gift.  The  laws  of  the  Church  rule  our 

Gift. 

In  the  strength  of  that  food  they  In  the  strength  of  this  Food  we  can 

reached  Clianaan.  reach  Heaven. 

They    kept    the    manna    in    the  The   Blessed  Sacrament  is  with  us 

Tabernacle  that  all  might  know        in  the  Tabernaole  that  we  may 

the  Lord's  goodness.  ever  adore  and  praise  the  Lord. 

Application. — In  order  that  we  may  reach  the  Promised 
Land  we  must  strengthen  our  souls  with  the  Bread  of  Life. 

Memory  Work.— Cat.  269. 

Expression  Work. — Write:  how  the  Blessed  Sacrament 
is  like  the  manna  in  the  Avilderness. 

Describe  the  giving  of  the  manna  in  the  'wilderness. 

Write  the  story  of  Elias,  or  draw  Ehas'  journey. 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  167 

The  Children  of  the  Church:  "The  Communion 
OF  Saints." 

53.— Lesson  Subject :  The  Church  Militant. 

References.— Eph.  vi.  13-17;  Heb.  xii.  1;  Apoc.  xii.  1; 
xxi.  9,  18. 

Apparatus. — Rough  B.B.  sketches  as  the  lesson  pro- 
ceeds. 

Aim. — ^To  show  how  the  faithful  on  earth  are  in  com- 
munion with  each  other. 

Note  to  the  Teacher. — This  allegory  illustrates  the  life 
of  a  member  of  the  Church  Militant,  but  if  preferred  take 
suitable  illustrative  incidents  from  the  lives  of  the  Saints. 

Introduction. — One  or  two  questions  on  the  children's 
favourite  story. 

Presentation  :  1.  Anyman  becomes  a  Christian. — Anyman 
rode  slowly  and  sadly  through  the  Desert  of  This  World; 
his  stout  ass  carried  him  well,  but  it  was  a  wearisome 
creature  to  ride;  and  it  was  a  dreary  road  he  traversed, 
waterless,  treeless,  unbeautiful.  Presently  he  met  a  com- 
pany of  merchants  with  bales  slung  upon  their  camels. 
"  Where  does  this  road  lead  ?"  asked  Anyman.  "  It 
leads  nowhere,"  answered  the  merchants,  "  come  and  be 
merry  with  us  and  let  us  show  you  the  beautiful  cloths  and 
jewels  which  we  have  in  our  packs."  "  No,"  answered 
Anyman,  "  I  do  not  care  to  loiter  here,  for  the  desert  is  so 
dreary."  A  little  farther  on  he  came  upon  some  maidens 
dancing.  "  Where  does  this  road  lead  ?"  he  asked. 
"  There  is  no  road,"  said  the  maidens,  "  your  eyes  deceive 
you.  Come  and  dance  with  us."  But  Anyman  shook  his 
head.  Then  he  heard  horse-hoofs  behind  him,  and  turning, 
saw  a  cavalcade  approaching.  In  front  rode  a  stately 
woman  in  shining  armour ;  her  face  was  stern  and  beautiful, 
yet  very  tender.  She  was  followed  by  a  troop  of  armed 
warriors.  Anyman  drew  aside  that  she  might  pass.  But 
as  they  passed,  one  of  the  lady's  servants,  noting  his  wistful 


168  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

look,  drew  rein.  "  Where  does  this  road  lead  ?"  asked 
Anyman  eagerly.  "  To  the  Heavenly  City,  whither  we 
are  travelling,"  answered  the  warrior;  "would  you  be  of 
our  company  ?"  "  Of  whose  company  are  you  ?"  "We 
are  the  servants  of  the  Lady  Ecclesia,  the  Bride  of  the 
Heavenly  King,  and  it  is  His  wish  that  she  should  come  to 
Him  with  a  large  retinue;  will  you  join  us  ?"  "  Would  she 
welcome  such  as  I,  poor  Anyman  ?"  "  Assuredly  she  will 
welcome  Anyman,"  answered  the  knight,  and  so  saying  he 
led  him  to  his  lady.  "What  would  you  ?"  she  asked.  "  I 
desire  to  follow  in  your  train  that  I  may  reach  the  Heavenly 
City,"  he  answered,  "  for  this  desert  is  so  dreary,  and  1  can 
never  find  my  way  hence  by  myself."  The  lady  drew  him 
to  her.  "  Welcome  !"  she  said.  Then,  turning  to  one  of  her 
servants,  "  Admit  Anyman  to  our  company,"  she  bade  him; 
and  the  knight  led  him  to  a  clear  spring  which  welled 
suddenly  and  sweetly  from  a  wayside  rock ;  here  he  poured 
water  on  his  head,  and  signed  him  with  the  sign  of  the  cross, 
and  uttered  mystic  words,  and  then  told  him :  "  Your  name 
is  now  Christian,  and  you  are  one  of  us."  Then  he  led 
him  back  to  the  Lady  Ecclesia.  "  My  child,"  she  said,  and 
kissed  him  on  the  forehead,  "  now  you  shall  become  my 
knight."  Then  with  her  own  hands  she  girded  him  with 
shining  armour,  and  placed  a  helmet  on  his  head  and  a 
shield  and  sword  in  his  hands.  "  Kneel,"  she  bade  him, 
and  Christian  obeyed.  Then  she  smote  him  lightly, 
crying,  "  Arise,  good  soldier  of  the  Heavenly  King." 
Thus  did  Christian  become  a  knight  fully  armed,  and  took 
his  place  among  the  followers  of  Ecclesia. 

2.  Christian  is  helped  by  his  Friends.— Then  Christian 
looked  around  that  company,  and  he  saw  that  all  the  servants 
of  his  lady  were  armed  like  himself,  and  he  noticed  that 
those  who  rode  nearest  to  her  and  formed  her  bodyguard 
wore  flowing  white  mantles  over  their  armour,  on  which 
was  embroidered  a  red  cross  before  and  behind.  These 
were  very  noble  knights,  and  it  was  they  who  had  authority 
over  the  rest  of  the  company,  and  it  was  to  them  that  all 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  169 

resorted  when  they  had  need  of  anything,  whether  medicine 
in  sickness  or  food  for  the  journey.  And  they  were  called 
the  Directors. 

Presently  Christian  found  that  he  was  lagging  behind,  for 
he  was  not  as  well  mounted  as  the  rest.  Then  night  fell, 
and  he  lost  sight  of  them.  And  now  the  rocks  rose  high 
on  either  hand,  and  strange  eerie  cries  were  heard,  and  dark 
shapes  glided  by,  and  a  great  terror  fell  on  Christian.  The 
ass  stumbled  and  would  not  hasten,  and  in  his  nervous  fear 
Christian  dropped  his  shield.  Instantly  out  of  the  darkness 
sprang  two  hideous  black  forms,  the  demons  of  Doubt  and 
Sloth,  and  one  struck  Christian  a  blow  on  the  head,  and 
the  other  seized  the  bridle  of  his  ass,  and  he  thought  that 
it  was  all  over  with  him.  And  so  perchance  it  would  have 
been  had  not  three  of  his  comrades  suddenly  come  to  his 
aid — Faith,  Hope,  and  Charity,  stalwart  knights,  at  sight 
of  whom  the  demons  fled  howling.  Then  said  Faith: 
"  Good  Christian,  buckle  on  these  spurs  of  penance,  and 
that  ass  of  thine  will  soon  make  more  speed."  So  they  rode 
on  together  out  of  the  Valley  of  Trial,  and  Hope  found 
Christian's  shield  and  restored  it  to  him. 

3.  Christian  helps  his  Friend. — One  very  hot  noontide 
Christian  noticed  one  of  his  comrades,  a  man  called  Faint- 
heart, suddenly  drop  from  the  ranks  and  lie  down  under 
a  bush  by  the  roadside.  Christian  felt  that  he  must  go  and 
see  what  was  the  matter.  He  found  him  trying  to  beat 
off  a  swarm  of  flies  and  gnats  which  buzzed  round  him. 
"  These  Cares  and  Worries  trouble  me  so,"  complained 
Faintheart,  "I  shall  really  have  to  give  up  the  journey." 
"  But  they'll  sting  worse  under  that  bush  than  out  in  the 
sun,"  said  Christian.  "  I  can't  go  on,  they  blind  me," 
answered  his  friend,  "  and  I  can't  drive  them  away." 
"  Have  you  tried  incense  ?"  asked  Christian;  and  he  took 
some  from  the  pouch  near  his  heart  where  he  always  carried 
it,  and  kindled  it  with  the  tinder-box  which  Charity  had 
given  him,  and  blew  it  with  his  breath,  and  the  smoke 
ascended,  and  at  the  touch  of  it  away  flew  Faintheart's 


170  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

cloud  of  stinging  Cares.  "  Do  you  not  carry  incense  too  ?" 
asked  Christian.  "  The  Directors  told  me  that  I  must  never 
be  without  it."  "  I  think  I  have  some  somewhere,  but 
I  have  almost  forgotten  how  to  use  it,"  Faintheart  answered. 
So  Christian  helped  him  to  find  it,  and  then  assisted  him  to 
his  feet  and  they  started  again. 

4.  Christian's  Battle. — Presently  the  way  grew  harder,  and 
looking  forward,  Christian  and  his  friends  could  see  a  cloud 
of  dust  in  the  distance  which  drew  rapidly  nearer.  Then 
the  Directors  rode  among  the  company,  warning  them. 
"  The  Prince  of  This  World  draws  near  to  battle,"  they 
said;  "see  that  you  are  well  armed,  be  prepared.  He 
knows  that  we  are  nearing  the  Heavenly  City,  and  he  does 
not  wish  us  to  escape  him.  He  would  fain  see  our  bones 
whiten  in  this  desert."  And  when  Christian  saw  the  mighty 
army  which  approached,  his  heart  almost  failed  him.  They 
were  so  many  and  his  company  so  few.  But  the  Lady 
Ecclesia  rode  forward  to  battle,  and  Christian  followed. 
And  so  the  battle  was  joined.  Fierce  it  was  and  long  it 
lasted,  and  sorely  were  Christian  and  his  comrades  tried, 
but  at  length,  just  when  defeat  seemed  certain,  the  enemy 
fied ;  and  lifting  his  eyes,  Christian  saw  that  they  who  were 
with  them  were  more  than  they  who  were  against  them,  for 
behind  and  around  them  was  a  mighty  host  of  knights  in 
gleaming  armour,  with  crowns  on  their  heads  and  palms 
of  victory  in  their  hands;  and  these  were  in  attendance 
upon  a  Woman  clothed  with  the  sun,  with  the  moon  under 
her  feet,  and  upon  her  head  a  crown  of  twelve  stars.  And 
Christian  knew  that  this  was  the  Queen  of  Heaven,  the 
Mother  of  the  Bridegroom  and  the  Bride,  whose  servants 
she  was  pledged  to  defend.  So  Christian  renewed  his 
courage  and  took  heart  of  grace. 

5.  The  Journey's  End. — After  this,  Christian  and  Faint- 
heart often  rode  side  by  side,  and  they  found  that  one  of 
the  Directors  was  always  at  hand  to  help  them;  besides 
which,  any  one  of  the  company  was  always  ready  to  help 
any  other,  so  that  none  was  ever  in  want  or  lonely  or  sad. 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  171 

for  they  were  all  brothers,  being  all  alike  children  of  the 
Heavenly  King.  And  on  a  day,  because  Faintheart  com- 
plained that  the  way  seemed  long,  their  Director  took  them 
to  a  certain  hill-top,  called  Contemplation,  and  thence  they 
caught  a  distant  gleam  of  the  Heavenly  City,  whose  streets 
were  of  pure  gold.  And  after  that  the  way  seemed  long 
no  more,  nor  the  going  rough,  but  the  ground  sloped  gently 
to  the  banks  of  a  great  river.  The  river  ran  deep  and  dark, 
and  the  name  of  it  was  Death ;  and  at  sight  of  it  Faintheart 
was  bitterly  afraid.  But  the  Director  told  Christian  and  his 
friend  that  the  King  had  sent  for  them,  and  they  were  to 
pass  over  at  once;  there  was  no  need  to  fear,  for  he  had  full 
directions  how  to  prepare  them  for  the  journey.  Then  he 
stripped  them  of  their  travel-worn  clothes,  and  anointed 
them  with  oil  that  the  waters  should  not  harm  them,  and 
gave  them  Food  that  they  might  have  strength  for  the 
crossing,  and  so  lowered  them  into  the  water.  And  angels 
brought  them  safely  unto  the  Other  Side. 

Association. — Discuss  the  story  with  the  class,  helping 
them  to  draw  the  analogies — e.g.,  Ecclesia,  the  Church;  the 
Directors,  the  clergy ;  incense,  prayer,  etc. 

Application. — Lead  the  class  to  see  that  every  Catholic  is 
marching  to  the  Heavenly  City  beneath  the  banner  of  the 
Church,  and  that  we  are  all  going  in  the  same  direction  and 
obeying  the  same  guide,  and  that  we  must  help  each  other 
on  our  way.     Help  them  to  form  some  practical  resolution. 

Memory  Work.— Cat.  103. 

Expression  Work. — Draw  a  picture-map  of  Christian's 
adventures.     Describe  Christian's  journey. 


54.— Lesson  Subject :  The  Church  Expectant. 

Reference. — The  Dream  of  Gerontius, 
Aim. — To  explain  something  of  Purgatory. 
Introduction. — Question  briefly  on  the  last  lesson. 
Introductory  Presentation. — Only  very  great  saints  are 
ready  to  go  on  at  once  to  heaven;  where  do  most  of  us 


172  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

go  after  death  ?  We  know  why  this  is.  This  world  is 
God's  school  for  us,  where  He  is  educating  us  for  heaven; 
we  are  learning  how  to  behave  and  what  to  do  when  we 
go  to  live  with  Him  and  our  elder  brothers,  the  saints. 
If  a  child  never  went  to  school,  but  just  ran  wild,  how 
uncomfortable  he  would  feel  when  grown  up,  and  expected 
to  live  with  educated  grown-up  people  !  But  some  of  us 
do  not  do  our  lessons  in  class,  we  leave  things  undone,  and 
we  do  things  badly,  and  so  when  holiday  time  comes  there 
is  ever  so  much  work  to  be  done  instead  of  going  out  to 
play. 

The  little  girl.  Vera,  of  whom  we  have  heard  before, 
used  to  give  her  aunt  great  trouble  because  she  would 
not  do  her  lessons  properly.  The  aunt  was  teaching  her 
at  home  for  a  time,  because  she  wanted  to  get  her  ready 
to  go  away  to  a  big  school.  But  Vera  seemed  quite  stupid, 
she  would  sit  and  cry  over  easy  sums  which  she  had 
worked  correctly  the  week  before;  all  her  work  was  done 
badly,  and  when  it  was  returned  she  just  cried  over  it 
instead  of  doing  it.  Then  it  occurred  to  her  aunt  that  this 
was  a  habit  she  had  got  into  at  her  last  school,  and  she 
thought  of  a  plan.  She  asked  Vera  if  she  would  like  to 
stay  in  bed  all  day  as  she  seemed  so  tired.  Vera  was 
delighted,  she  meant  to  read  and  do  jig-saw  puzzles  all 
day;  but  her  aunt  said  that  as  she  was  so  tired  she  must 
rest,  and  would  not  allow  books  or  puzzles.  By  evening 
time  Vera  had  realised  how  naughty  she  had  been,  and 
she  told  her  aunt  so  and  was  forgiven,  and  was  quite  happy 
again;  hut  the  work  was  still  undone.  Now  the  next  day 
was  Saturday  and  a  whole  holiday.  Would  it  have  been 
fair  to  let  Vera  play  all  day  and  excuse  all  her  neglected 
essays  and  copies  and  sums  ?  She  would  not  have  been 
happy;  and  what  about  her  little  sister  Joan  who  had 
worked  hard  all  the  week  ?  No,  directly  she  had  owned 
to  her  naughtiness  and  been  forgiven,  Vera  set  to  work 
to  do  all  the  sums  and  learn  all  the  history  and  write  all 
the  essays  which   she  had  left  undone;   and  she  stayed 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  173 

upstairs  doing  them  nearly  all  Saturday,  too,  but  she 
finished  them;  and  after  that  all  was  forgotten,  and  Vera 
did  her  lessons  well  in  future. 

Now  Purgatory  is  the  place  where  we  make  up  for  what 
we  have  left  undone  on  earth.  We  are  not  in  disgrace, 
God  has  forgiven  us  our  sins,  but  He  expects  us  to  show 
that  we  are  sorry  by  bearing  His  punishments  thankfully 
and  happily.  And  the  holy  souls  in  Purgatory  are  very 
happy;  they  would  not  be  anywhere  else,  even  if  they 
could,  until  their  work  is  done.  And  here  comes  in  our 
part.  It  is  as  if  we,  still  in  the  schoohoom,  could  write 
some  of  their  Unes  for  them,  and  so  help  them  to  get 
through  their  task  the  quicker;  and  if  we  do  this,  what 
may  we  not  expect  that  they  wiU  do  for  us,  when  they  are 
saints  in  heaven  and  we  are  in  Purgatory  ourselves  ? 

The  Dream  of  Gerontius. — A  very  holy  and  learned  man, 
Cardinal  Newman,  wrote  a  beautiful  poem  about  Purgatory. 
He  wrote  it  as  if  it  were  a  dream  which  a  man  named 
Gerontius  dreamed. 

It  seemed  to  Gerontius  that  he  was  dying,  and  was  asking 
the  Lord  Jesus  and  our  Lady  to  help  him,  while  the  priest 
and  his  friends  prayed  around  his  bed.  He  heard  the 
priest  say : 

Go  forth  upon  thy  journey,  Christian  soul  I 
Go  from  this  world  !     Go,  in  the  name  of  God 
The  omnipotent  Father,  Who  created  thee ! 
Go,  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ,  our  Lord, 
Son  of  the  living  God,  Who  bled  for  thee  ! 
Go,  in  the  name  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  Who 
Hath  been  poured  out  on  thee  !  .   .  . 

And  then  it  seemed  to  him  as  if  he  had  been  asleep  and 
woke  up  refreshed,  and  that  he  had  heard  in  his  sleep 
someone  say,  "  He's  gone."  But  he  felt  so  very  much 
alone,  and  he  could  not  feel  himself  at  all,  nor  wink  an 
eyelid,  nor  move  a  hand  or  foot.  And  then  he  felt  that 
he  was  being  held  by  someone,  carried  along  by  him,  but 
he  could  not  see  anything  at  all.  And  then  he  heard  a 
most  beautiful  voice,  and  he  knew  that  it  was  his  guardian 


174  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

angel  who  was  carrying  him  and  singing  as  he  flew;  and 
this  was  his  song : 

My  work  is  done, 
My  task  is  o'or, 
And  so  I  come, 
Taking  it  home, 
For  the  crown  is  won, 
Alleluia, 
For  evermore. 

My  Father  gave 

In  charge  to  me 
This  child  of  earth 
E'en  from  its  birth, 
To  serve  and  save, 
Alleluia, 
And  saved  is  he. 

This  child  of  clay 

To  me  was  given, 
To  rear  and  train 
By  sorrow  and  pain 
In  the  narrow  way. 
Alleluia, 
From  earth  to  heaven. 

Then  Gerontius  talked  with  his  angel,  who  told  him 
that  they  were  hastening  to  the  Lord  Jesus;  and  Gerontius 
asked  how  it  was  that  he  had  no  fear  of  the  Lord's  judg- 
ment now,  whereas  when  aUve  he  had  always  dreaded  it 
so  much,  and  the  angel  answered : 

It  is  because 
Then  thou  didst  fear,  that  now  thou  dost  not  fear. 

Also,  because  already  in  thy  soul 
The  judgment  is  begun.  .  .  . 

Then,  as  they  drew  near  the  judgment  court,  they  heard 
the  howling  of  the  demons,  raging  because  Gerontius  had 
escaped  them;  and  then  they  heard  the  singing  of  the 
angel  choirs,  and  presently  they  sang  of  Gerontius'  coming 
purgatory : 

Yet  still  between  that  earth  and  heaven — 

His  journey  and  his  goal — 
A  double  agony  awaits 

His  body  and  his  soul. 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  175 

A  double  debt  he  has  to  pay — 

The  forfeit  of  his  sins, 
The  chill  of  death  is  past,  and  now 

The  penance  fire  begins. 

Glory  to  Him  who  evermore 

By  truth  and  justice  reigns; 
Who  tears  the  soul  from  out  its  case. 

And  burns  away  its  stains  ! 

The  angel  explained  to  Gerontius  that  the  sight  of  the 
Lord  Jesus  would  make  him  long  intensely  to  be  with  Him 
always,  and  yet  would  make  him  so  ashamed  of  his  sins 
that  he  would  long  to  go  away  and  hide  himself,  and  that 
the  two  longings  together  would  be  the  worst  pain  of 
Purgatory.  Then,  as  they  crossed  the  threshold  of  the 
judgment  hall,  the  angel  choir  sang  their  loveliest  song: 

Praise  to  the  Holiest  in  the  height. 

And  in  the  depth  be  praise: 
In  all  His  words  most  wonderful: 

Most  sure  in  all  His  ways  ! 

(Finish  the  hymn — No.  56  in  the  Westminster  Hymnal 
— ending  it  with  the  first  verse. repeated.  Some  classes 
might  be  allowed  to  sing  it  instead  of  hearing  it  read.) 

Then  the  angel  told  Gerontius  : 

Thy  judgment  now  is  near,  for  we  are  come 
Into  the  veiled  presence  of  our  God. 

"  I  hear  the  voices  that  I  left  on  earth,"  said  Gerontius, 
and  the  angel  answered : 

It  is  the  voice  of  friends  around  thy  bed 
Who  say  the  Subvenite  with  the  priest. 
Hither  the  echoes  come.  .  . 

Before  the  throne  stood  the  great  Angel  of  the  Agony, 
he  who  came  to  our  Lord  in  the  Garden  of  Gethsemane, 
and  the  angel  prayed : 

Jesu  !  spare  these  souls  which  are  so  dear  to  Thee, 
Who  in  prison,  calm  and  patient,  wait  for  Thee; 
Hasten,  Lord,  their  hour,  and  bid  them  come  to  Thee, 
To  that  glorious  Home,  where  they  shall  ever  gaze  on  Thee. 


176  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

Then  the  soul  of  Gerontius  darted  to  the  feet  of  the 
Lord,  and  the  angel,  watching,  said  softly : 

Praise  to  His  Name ! 
The  eager  spirit  has  darted  from  my  hold, 
And,  with  the  intemperate  energy  of  love. 
Flies  to  the  dear  feet  of  Emmanuel; 
But,  ere  it  reach  them,  the  keen  sanctity. 
Which  with  its  effluence,  like  a  glory,  clothes 
And  circles  round  the  Crucified,  has  seized, 
And  scorched,  and  shrivelled  it;  and  now  it  lies 
Passive  and  still  before  the  awful  Throne. 

0  happy,  suffering  soul  !  for  it  is  safe. 
Consumed  yet  quickened,  by  the  glance  of  God. 

And  Gerontius  said : 

Take  me  away,  and  in  the  lowest  deep 

There  let  me  be, 
And  there  in  hope  the  lone  night-watches  keep, 

Told  out  for  me. 

There  will  I  sing  my  absent  Lord  and  Love — 

Take  me  away. 
That  sooner  I  may  rise  and  go  above. 

And  see  Him  in  the  truth  of  everlasting  day. 

And  the  guardian  angel  commanded : 

Now  let  the  golden  prison  ope  its  gates. 
Making  sweet  music,  as  each  fold  revolves 
Upon  its  ready  hinge.     And  ye  great  powers, 
Angels  of  Purgatory,  receive  from  me 
My  charge,  a  precious  soul,  until  the  day. 
When,  from  all  bond  and  forfeiture  released, 

1  shall  reclaim  it  for  the  courts  of  light. 

Softly  and  gently,  dearly  ransomed  soul. 
In  my  most  loving  arms  I  now  enfold  thee. 

And,  o'er  the  penal  waters,  as  they  roll, 

I  poise  thee,  and  I  lower  thee,  and  hold  thee 

Angels,  to  whom  the  willing  task  is  given, 

Shall  tend,  and  nurse,  and  lull  thee,  as  thou  liest; 

And  Masses  on  the  earth,  and  prayers  in  heaven, 
Shall  aid  thee  at  the  throne  of  the  Most  Highest. 

Farewell,  but  not  for  ever  !  brother  dear. 
Be  brave  and  patient  on  thy  bed  of  sorrow; 

Swiftly  shall  pass  thy  night  of  trial  here. 

And  I  will  come  and  wake  thee  on  the  morrow. 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  177 

Application. — Discuss  with  the  children  what  the}-  can 
do  to  help  the  holy  souls  in  Purgatory,  and  lead  them  to 
form  a  resolution  to  make  a  regular  effort. 

Memory  Work.— Cat.  105,  106,  108. 

Expression  Work. — Describe  the  necessity  for  Purgatory. 

Write  the  Dream  of  Gerontius,  or  how  we  can  help  the 
souls  in  Purgatory;  how  we  can  shorten  our  own 
Purgatory. 

55. — Lesson  Subject :  The  Church  Triumphant. 

Reference. — Apoc.  iv.  v.  8-14. 

Apparatus. — A  large  sketch  of  a  tree. 

Aim. — To  teach  something  of  the  communion  of  saints. 

Introduction. — Draw  a  large  tree  on  B.B.  (or  show  a 
prepared  sketch);  the  roots  below  the  ground  should  be 
indicated — i.e.,  with  only  lightly  shaded  lines  for  the  earth 
which  covers  them. 

Presentation  :  1.  The  Children  o!  the  Church.— Tell  the 
class  that  the  tree  is  a  picture  or  symbol  of  the  children 
of  the  Church — i.e.,  of  the  communion  of  saints.  Let  the 
class  teU  that  the  children  of  the  Church  are  divided  into 
three  divisions.  Point  to  trunk  of  tree  and  ask  which 
part  that  represents — we  can  see  it  clearly,  feel  it,  live 
beside  it;  draw  from  them  that  it  represents  the  Church 
on  eai'th.  Ask  what  part  the  roots  represent — the  Church 
in  Purgatory ;  then  ask  what  the  leafy  branches,  aloft  in  the 
sky,  sj'-mbolise,  explain  that  the  leaves  draw  in  life  for 
the  trunk  and  the  roots :  the  Church  in  heaven. 

2.  St.  John's  Vision  of  the  Church  Triumphant. — Ask 
what  St.  John  was  shown  on  Patmos;  say  that  he  saw  also 
a  vision  of  the  children  of  the  Church  in  heaven,  the 
victorious  ones  whom  we  call  the  Church  Triumphant. 
Describe  vividly  chapters  iv.  and  v.  of  the  Apocalypse, 
using  the  words  of  the  Bible  as  much  as  possible.  Omit 
the  account  of  the  opening  of  the  book  in  chapter  v., 
because  the  explanation  is  beyond  the  children,  and  beside 
our  point. 

12 


178  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

3.  Our  Friends  in  Heaven. — Ask  the  class  for  the  names 
of  their  special  friends  among  the  saints;  let  as  many 
children  as  possible  recount  briefly  the  lives  of  their  patron 
saints.  Ask  how  we  can  show  honour  to  them,  and  how 
they  help  us. 

Association. — Let  the  class  recall  what  they  have  learnt 
of  the  communion  of  saints — i.e.,  that  we  of  the  Church 
Militant  all  believe  the  same  faith,  obey  the  same  authority, 
and  pray  for  and  help  each  other ;  that  they  of  the  Church 
Expectant  need  our  praj^ers  to  hasten  their  entrance  into 
heaven;  that  they  of  the  Church  Triumphant  pray  for  us 
to  help  us  on  our  journey  thither. 

Application. — Lead  the  class  to  resolve  to  help  their 
friends  on  earth  by  prayer  and  service,  to  help  their  friends 
in  Purgatory  by  prayer  and  good  works,  and  to  ask  help 
of  their  friends  in  heaven.  Remind  them  that  all  Cathohcs 
are  our  friends  (St.  Matt.  xxv.  40),  and  all  people  have  a 
claim  on  oiu*  help  (St.  Luke  x.  25-37). 

Memory  Work.— Cat.  102,  104. 

Expression  Work.— Describe  St.  John's  vision. 

How  the  children  of  the  Church  can  help  each  other. 

6Q>. — Review  Lesson  on  the  Church. 

Apparatus.— Two  blackboards. 

Aim. — To  review  the  lessons  on  the  ninth  article  of  the 
Creed. 

References.— St.  Mark  iv.  26-32;  St.  Matt.  xiii.  47-50. 

Introduction. — Ask  for  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus'  New 
Creation. 

Presentation  :  Christ's  Description  of  His  Church.— Tell 
the  class  that  many  people  talk  about  "  the  Churches." 
One  says  that  he  belongs  to  the  Protestant  Church,  another 
that  he  belongs  to  the  Free  Church,  another  that  he  belongs 
to  the  Anglican  or  Eastern  Church,  but  the  Lord  Jesus 
said  that  there  is  only  one  Church. 

The  Lord  told  His  disciples  that  the  kingdom  of  heaven 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  179 

— i.e.,  the  Church — is  Hke  a  field  which  the  farmer  has 
sown  with  corn,  and  when  the  corn  is  ripe  he  will  reap  it 
and  gather  in  his  harvest.  Now  a  cornfield  is  all  in  one, 
it  is  not  cut  into  separate  strips,  one  here  and  one  there. 
Again,  He  said  that  the  Church  is  like  a  big  tree  grown 
from  a  httle  seed,  and  a  tree  is  one  ;  further,  He  said  that 
the  Church  is  like  a  net  cast  into  the  sea,  which  when 
drawn  up  is  full  of  fish,  both  bad  and  good;  now  a  net 
must  be  whole,  else  it  can  never  hold  fish.  (Illustrate  the 
foregoing  with  rough  B.B.  sketches.) 

Review. — If  the  Church  is  one,  and  if  there  are  several 
imitation  Churches  which  claim  to  be  the  true  Church, 
or  parts  of  it,  how  are  we  to  know  the  real  one  ?  Let  the 
class  give  the  Four  Marks,  write  them  on  B.B.  Ask  how 
we  know  that  the  Church  is  One,  Holy,  Cathohc,  and 
Apostolic,  write  the  answers  beneath  the  headings.  In 
the  same  way  ask  for  the  Door  of  the  Church,  the  Guides 
of  the  Church,  the  Food  of  the  Church,  the  Goal  of  the 
Church,  and  the  Children  of  the  Church,  writing  up  headings 
and  answers. 

Tell  the  class  that  we  have  now  finished  the  ninth*  article 
of  the  Creed;  let  them  read  it  through  and  find  it. 
Draw  from  the  children  some  such  generalisation  as  the 
following : 

There  is   One  Holy  Catholic   Apostolic   Church   which 
we  enter   by  baptism;    our   guides  lead  us  through   the 
wilderness  to  heaven,  and  feed  us  with  the  Bread  of  Life. 
The  children  of  the  Church  are  on  earth,  in  purgatory,  and 
in  heaven. 
Memory  Work.— Cat.  83,  100,  101. 
Expression  Work. — Copy  the  generalisation. 
Draw  a  symbolic  picture  of  the  Church  as  an  army 
marching  through  the  wilderness. 


180  FAITH  AND  DUTY 


ARTICLE  X. 

"  The  Forgiveness  of  sins." 

Aim. — To  explain  as  far  as  possible  the  nature  of  sin 
and  God's  method  of  forgiveness,  and  to  teach  the  children 
to  shun  the  one  and  seek  the  other. 

Teacher's  Thought. — "  He  appeared  to  take  away  our 
sins,  and  in  Him  there  is  no  sin  "  (1  St.  John  iii.  5). 

57. — Lesson  Subject:  The  Nature  of  Sin.     (Eve  in 
contrast  with  our  Lady.) 

References. — Gen.  ii.  and  iii. ;  St.  Luke  i.  26-38. 

Apparatus. — Pictures  of  the  expulsion  from  Eden  and 
of  the  Annunciation. 

Aim. — To  explain  something  of  the  nature  of  sin,  as 
shown  by  Eve's  disobedience  and  our  Lady's  obedience. 

Introductory  Presentation. — Give  an  illustration  of  two 
leaders — school  monitors,  heads  of  a  class,  patrol  leaders^ 
etc. — one  of  whom  by  his  own  action  brings  disgrace  and 
punishment  upon  his  house,  class,  patrol,  etc. ;  and  another, 
succeeding  him  or  her  in  the  office,  who  brings  to  those 
under  him  success  and  glory.  The  incidents  chosen  must 
be  related  to  the  life  of  the  school,  and  must  therefore  be 
invented  by  the  individual  teacher. 

Presentation  :  L  The  First  Eve. — Picture  Eve  in  Eden, 
created  sinless,  beautiful,  completely  happy,  the  friend  of 
God.  Let  the  class  recount  the  Fall,  and  help  them  to 
see  how  far  Eve  contributed  to  it;  show  that  she  deHberately 
refused  to  do  the  work  which  God  had  given  her — she  was 
created  to  be  a  help  to  Adam,  instead  of  which  she  put 
temptation  in  his  way.  Again,  her  very  name  should  have 
reminded  her  of  her  responsibilities,  it  meant  "  the  mother 
of  all  the  living."  Refer  to  the  leader  in  the  foregoing 
story  who  brought  disgrace  on  his  fellows;  let  the  class 
tell  how  Eve  helped  to  bring  disgrace  and  punishment  on 
us  by  tempting  Adam,  for  as  Adam's  children  we   suffer 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  181 

for  Adam's  sin,  and  so  we  must  bear  pain  and  weariness 
and  death,  the  punishments  of  sin. 

Let  the  class  recall  the  promise  of  the  Saviour  Who 
should  crush  the  serpent's  head;  explain  that  some  learned 
men  think  that  the  verse  means  that  a  woman  should 
conquer  the  serpent,  and  some  think  it  means  that  her 
Child  should  do  so,  but  that  it  comes  to  the  same  thing 
in  the  end,  as  we  shall  see  in  a  moment. 

2.  The  Second  Eve. — Refer  to  the  illustrative  story — a 
fresh  chance  given  to  the  class  or  patrol  to  "  make  good  " 
by  being  given  a  new  leader.  Explain  that  that  is  always 
God's  way.  He  loves  to  give  us  fresh  chances.  He  saw 
how  our  first  mother,  Eve,  had  helped  to  spoil  everything 
for  us;  she  was  disobedient,  and  it  has  come  natural  to 
us  ever  since  to  be  disobedient.  So  God  planned  to  create 
someone  whom  He  knew  would  not  throw  away  her  chances ; 
He  planned  to  give  us  a  new  mother  who  would  help  us 
to  be  obedient.  He  created  Mary,  our  Lady,  and  He  gave 
her  the  privilege  which  He  gave  to  Eve — that  is,  she  was 
created  sinless  as  Eve  was,  not  with  a  natural  inclination 
to  sin  such  as  we  all  inherit  from  Adam  and  Eve.  (Ask 
the  class  what  this  privilege  of  our  Blessed  Lady  is  called.) 
Eve  was  created  sinless,  but  what  did  she  do  with  her 
gift  ?  God  knew  that  He  could  trust  Mary,  and  so  He 
confirmed  her  in  grace,  kept  her  free  from  all  sin.  But  He 
asked  more  from  Mary  than  He  had  asked  from  Eve. 
He  merely  asked  Eve  not  to  disobey  Him,  He  asked  our 
Lady  to  hel'p  Him.  Recount  the  Annunciation  or  let  the 
class  do  so.  Help  the  class  to  see  that  God  did  not  com- 
mand Mary's  assent;  He  asked  for  it,  but  He  left  her  free 
to  refuse,  and  she  might  have  refused  to  be  the  mother  of 
our  Lord;  she  knew  that  it  would  mean  much  suffering 
for  her.  Give  our  Lady's  answer  (St.  Luke  i.  38).  She 
was  obedient  to  God's  wishes,  not  merely  to  His  com- 
mands; she  assented,  and  through  her  assent  the  Great 
Gift  came  to  us,  the  Promised  One,  Vv^ho  should  restore 
to  us  all  that  Adam  and  Eve  threw  away. 


182  FAITH  AND  "DUTY 

O  loving  wisdom  of  our  God  ! 

When  all  was  sin  and  shamo, 
A  second  Adam  to  the  fight 

And  to  the  rescue  came. 

Association. — A  second  Adam  !  Then  who  was  the 
second  Eve  ?  Let  the  children  think  how  our  Lady  proved 
herself  a  real  help  to  Him;  let  them  tell  how  she,  too, 
crushed  the  serpent's  head.  From  their  answers  work  out 
a  B.B.  summary  on  the  following  lines: 

The  first  Eve  The  second  Eve 

Was  created  sinless.  Was  created  sinless. 

Pleased  herself  rather  than  God.  Pleased  God  rather  than  herself. 

Tempted  Adam.  Helped  the  Second  Adam. 

Brought  punishment  on  herself  Brought  blessings  on  herself  and 

and  us.  us. 

Application. — We  have  seen  that  children  take  after 
their  mothers,  and  that  as  Eve's  children  sin  is  natural  to 
us,  but  now  God  has  given  us  another  mother,  and  we 
are  born  again  (ask  when),  and  in  baptism  we  are  given 
just  the  same  gift  which  was  given  to  Eve  and  to  Mary — 
we  are  made  free  from  sin,  so  that  sin  is  not  natural  to  us 
any  longer,  for  we  are  Hving  in  grace,  the  children  of  God 
and  the  children  of  Mary.  Remind  the  class  that  Eve 
threw  away  her  gift;  ask  what  we  must  do  to  keep  ours, 
and  lead  the  children  to  make  a  private  resolution  to  avoid 
some  besetting  sm.  Let  them  stand  and  say  a  "  Hail, 
Mary." 

Memory  Work.— Cat.  116,  117,  119,  123. 

Expression  Work. — Draw  symbohc  pictures  of  Eve  and 
the  serpent  and  our  Lady  and  the  serpent. 

Write:  why  our  Lady  is  called  the  Second  Eve. 


58.— Lesson  Subject :  The  Forgiveness  of  Sins. 
(The  Sick  of  the  Palsy.) 

Reference.— St.  Mark  ii.  1-12;  St.  John  xx.  19-24. 
Apparatus. — A  picture  of  the  heaUng  of  the  man  sick 
of  the  palsy,  or  model  of  Eastern  house  showing  veranda. 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  183 

Aim. — To  show  how  God  forgives  us  our  sins. 
Introduction. — Ask  through  whom  sin  became  natural 
to  us,  through  whom  the  Saviour  from  sin  came  to  us, 
through  what  sacrament  He  gives  us  the  gift  which  was 
given  to  Eve  and  to  Mary — the  gift  of  sinlessness.  Ask 
what  Eve  did  with  her  gift,  what  our  Lady  did  with  hers, 
what  we  do  with  ours. 

Presentation  :  L  How  our  Saviour  forgave  Sins  when  on 
Earth. — When  the  Lord  Jesus,  our  Saviour,  came  to  make 
things  right  for  us,  as  He  had  promised,  He  thought  of 
everything.  He  saw  how  Adam  and  Eve  had  torn  off 
their  spirit-wings,  Grace,  and  become  grubs  when  He 
meant  them  to  be  butterflies;  and  we,  their  children,  were 
grubs  too,  crawling  caterpillars  instead  of  bright,  flying 
things.  And  then  we  have  seen  how  He  came  to  restore 
us  to  Grace,  and  gave  us  the  holy  sacrament  of  Baptism 
by  which  we  become  children  of  God,  so  that  sin  is  no 
longer  natural  to  us,  for  we  have  our  spirit- wings  again. 
But  the  Lord  knew  that  many  of  us  would  not  keep  them. 
So  He  thought  of  yet  another  way  to  help  us.  First  we 
will  see  how  He  told  people  about  this  plan. 

The  Lord  Jesus  was  teaching  in  a  house  at  Caphar- 
naum,  St.  Peter's  house  it  is  thought,  in  which  He  prob- 
ably stayed  whenever  He  came  by  that  way.  It  was 
a  good- sized  house,  with  a  courtyard  in  the  middle  (show 
model  or  sketch),  and  a  veranda  opening  from  the  large 
upper  room,  and  overlooking  the  court.  The  place  was 
crowded.  Our  Lord  was  probably  sitting  on  the  veranda, 
with  people  all  round  Him,  and  in  the  room  behind  Him, 
and  filling  the  courtyard  below  Him;  nobody  could  get 
through  from  the  street,  for  the  one  narrow  doorway  was 
blocked.  And  out  in  the  street  was  a  poor  palsied  man, 
a  hopeless  cripple,  unable  to  move,  carried  on  a  mattress 
by  four  of  his  friends.  The  poor  man  had  heard  of  the 
Lord's  kindness,  and  of  His  power  to  heal,  and  he  longed 
desperately  to  reach  Him;  not  only  his  illness  but  his  sins 
weighed  on  his  heart,  and  he  feared  that  they  might  hinder 


184  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

his  cure  (a  Jewish  behef).  But  how  could  a  man  carried 
on  a  mattress  get  through  the  crowd  which  surrounded 
the  Lord  ?  His  friends  had  an  idea.  They  carried  him 
up  the  outside  stair,  across  the  flat  house  roof  to  the 
lightly  tiled  roof  of  the  veranda,  then  they  uncovered  this 
and  lowered  him  down  on  his  mattress  to  the  feet  of  the 
Lord.     (Continue  in  the  words  of  St.  Mark  ii.  5-12.) 

2.  How  our  Saviour  forgives  Sins  now  in  Heaven, — But 
though  the  Lord  Jesus  could  and  did  forgive  sins  when  He 
was  on  earth,  what  about  when  He  had  ascended  into 
heaven  ?  How  would  He  forgive  sins  then  ?  The  Jews 
were  quite  right  when  they  said:  "Who  can  forgive  sins 
but  God  only  ?"  (Read  to  the  class  or  let  them  read 
St.  John  XX.  19-24.)  There,  when  He  ordained  His  Apostles 
to  be  priests,  the  Lord  gave  them  His  own  power  of  for- 
giving sins — that  is,  He  would  forgive  sins  in  future 
through  them.  Priests  act  for  the  Lord  Jesus,  He  speaks 
through  them  and  acts  through  them;  it  was  for  that  very 
purpose  that  He  made  the  Catholic  Church,  so  that  He 
might  be  with  us  always,  doing  by  His  priests  just  what 
He  did  when  He  was  on  earth  Himself. 

Let  the  children  tell  how  the  Lord  Jesus  forgives  us  our 
sins  now. 

Application. — We  have  seen  that  we  lose  our  spirit- 
wings,  given  us  in  Baptism,  by  sin,  and  that  we  regain 
them  in  the  sacrament  of  Penance,  by  confession  and 
absolution;  therefore  what  must  we  do  at  once  when  we 
have  lost  our  spirit- wings  ? 

Memory  Work.— Cat.  110,  111,  112. 

Expression  Work. — Draw  a  picture  of  the  soul  in  grace 
and  out  of  grace — i.e.,  as  a  winged  butterfly  and  as  a 
crawhng  grub. 

Describe  the  healing  of  the  palsied  man. 

Copy  the  model  or  sketch  of  the  house. 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  185 

59.— Lesson  Subject :  Zacheus. 

Reference. — St.  Luke  xix.  1-10. 

Apparatus. — A  picture  showing  Zacheus  in  the  sycamore. 

Aim. — To  show  what  God  expects  us  to  do  in  order  that 
our  sins  may  be  forgiven. 

Introduction. — One  or  two  questions  on  God's  plan  for 
forgiving  sins.  Ask  if  the  work  is  all  to  be  on  God's  side, 
or  if  there  is  not  something  which  we  must  do  also. 
Explain  that  there  are  three  things;  if  the  class  is  eager 
to  say  what  they  are,  tell  them  to  wait  and  mention  them 
as  we  come  to  them  in  the  story. 

Presentation  :  1.  How  Zacheus  sinned.— There  was  once 
a  man  who  wanted  very  much  to  be  rich,  and  did  not 
care  how  he  got  rich.  He  was  a  Jew,  living  in  Palestine 
at  the  time  of  our  Lord.  (Let  the  class  suggest  the  different 
things  he  might  do — e.g.,  he  could  study  and  become  a 
learned  man,  a  scribe,  and  teach;  or  be  a  fisherman  like 
St.  John,  or  a  carpenter  Hke  our  Lord;  but  none  of  these 
ways  of  earning  a  living  made  people  very  rich.)  There 
was  one  way  in  which  you  could  get  rich  easily,  but  dis- 
honestly; and  even  if  you  were  not  dishonest  over  it  all 
your  neighbours  would  hate  you  for  doing  it.  Let  the 
class  tell  of  the  tax-collectors'  work  and  why  it  was  so 
hated.  When  tax-collectors  wanted  to  get  rich  quickly 
they  charged  unfair  taxes  on  things  and  pocketed  the 
extra  money.  Once  a  publican  actually  took  away  a 
poor  man's  donkey  and  gave  him  another  in  exchange 
which  was  not  half  so  good,  and  the  poor  man  could  not 
help  himself.  It  is  no  wonder  that  these  tax-collectors 
were  hated.  So  Zacheus  became  a  publican,  and  was  no 
better  than  the  rest;  he,  too,  cheated  and  got  rich  on  his 
gains. 

2.  How  Zacheus  met  the  Lord  and  was  sorry  for  his 
Sins. — Zacheus  lived  in  a  beautiful  town,  and  no  doubt 
he  had  a  fine  house,  as  he  was  rich.  The  town  was  called 
Jericho,  which  means  "perfumed,"  because  all  around  it 


186  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

were  plantations  of  a  sweet- smelling  shrub  called  balsam. 
Jericho  was  built  in  a  valley  which  was  so  warm  that  it 
was  summer-time  all  the  year  round,  with  oranges  and 
lemons  growing  out  of  doors;  a  lovely  place  in  which  to 
live.  Crowds  of  people  often  passed  through  the  town, 
on  their  way  to  the  feasts  at  Jerusalem;  then  the  people 
of  Jericho  used  to  go  out  to  meet  them  and  perhaps  walk 
a  little  way  with  them.  Jerusalem  was  a  good  many 
miles  away,  but  a  legend  says  that  you  could  sometimes 
hear  the  Temple  music,  soft  and  sweet,  like  distant  church 
bells. 

One  day  in  early  spring,  just  before  the  Passover, 
Zacheus  heard  that  a  band  of  people  was  about  to  pass 
through  Jericho  on  the  way  to  Jerusalem.  He  heard,  too> 
that  a  certain  wonderful  prophet  named  Jesus  of  Nazareth 
was  with  them.  Zacheus  felt  a  great  longing  to  see  Him. 
Perhaps  he  had  heard  that  Jesus  was  friendly  with  publi- 
cans, though  no  other  rabbi  would  be;  perhaps  he  had 
heard  that  Jesus  helped  people  to  be  good  no  matter  what 
wrong  they  had  done;  perhaps  he  was  tired  of  living  only  to 
please  himself. 

A  great  crowd  of  people  filled  the  streets,  going  out  to 
meet  Jesus  and  His  friends.  Zacheus  knew  that  he  had 
no  chance  of  pushing  his  way  through  the  crowds,  no  one 
liked  him  and  no  one  would  make  way  for  him.  Now 
Zacheus  was  very  short,  so  that  he  could  not  see  over 
people's  heads,  but  he  had  a  sudden  brilliant  idea — he 
hurried  along  the  road  where  the  crowd  must  pass  and 
climbed  up  into  a  sycamore-tree.  "  Now  I  shall  see  Him," 
he  thought,  "  and,  of  course,  it  will  be  my  only  chance, 
as  no  doubt  He  will  go  straight  to  some  priest's  house  to 
spend  the  night."  The  crowd  drew  near.  How  eagerly 
Zacheus  looked  over  their  heads  to  the  One  in  their  midst. 
And  then,  as  Jesus  came  level  with  him.  He  looked  straight 
up  at  him  and  said,  "  Zacheus,  make  haste  and  come 
down;  for  to-day  I  must  abide  at  thy  house."  Think  of 
it !     Think  of  the  joy  of  Zacheus  at  having  the  Lord  for 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  187 

his  Guest  !  But  think  what  he  would  feel  besides  joy 
and  wonder,  as  he  thought  how  Uttle  he  deserved  this 
great  honour ;  think  of  his  sorrow  for  sin,  his  contrition,  the 
first  part  of  a  good  confession. 

3.  How  Zacheus  obtained  Forgiveness  of  Sins. — We  can 
imagine  the  haste  with  which  Zacheus  came  down  from 
that  tree,  and  the  joy  with  which  he  received  the  Lord  into 
his  house.  We  may  be  quite  sure  that  he  made  the  most 
splendid  feast  for  Him. 

But  what  do  you  think  that  the  people  said  when  they 
saw  the  Lord  Jesus  go  into  Zacheus'  house  ?  They  were 
absolutely  shocked,  and  said,  "  Just  fancy  !  He  has  gone 
to  be  the  Guest  of  a  man  which  is  a  sinner  !"  But  do 
you  think  that  Zacheus  was  a  sinner  long,  now  that  he  had 
the  forgiving  Lord  in  his  own  house  ?  (Let  the  children 
say  how  Zacheus  would  confess  his  sins  and  be  forgiven.) 

But  Zacheus  knew  that  all  was  not  finished  even  when 
you  had  confessed  your  sins  and  been  forgiven.  There 
was  still  to  2^rove  that  you  were  sorry,  by  making  amends 
if  you  could.  So  he  stood  up,  probably  in  front  of  every- 
one in  the  house,  and  said,  "  Lord,  I  am  going  to  give 
away  half  of  my  riches  to  the  poor ;  and  I  am  going  through 
my  accounts  very  carefully,  and  if  I  have  taken  any  money 
unfairly  I  will  give  that  man  whom  I  cheated  four  times 
as  much,  as  a  thief  has  to  do  (Exod.  xxii.  1),  for  a  cheat 
is  a  thief."     And  Jesus  said  to  him — (verses  9,  10). 

Zacheus  did  not  give  up  being  a  tax-collector,  as  far  as 
we  know.  There  was  no  reason  why  he  should;  it  was 
quite  an  honourable  calling  so  long  as  he  did  not  cheat. 
But  think  of  what  his  neighbours  said  and  thought  when 
he  gave  away  half  of  his  wealth  to  the  poor,  he  who  had 
probably  never  given  anything  away  before;  and  how 
surprised  and  astonished  some  poor  man  would  be  when 
Zacheus  went  to  him  and  said,  "  Here  are  four  pounds 
which  I  owe  you,  1  have  charged  you  a  pound  too  much 
on  your  market  taxes  at  different  times."  Let  the  children 
say  why  Zacheus  acted  thus,  and  lead  them  to  see  that 


188  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

he  was  fulfilling  the  third  part  of  a  good  confession — 
amendment  of  life. 

Association. — Let  the  class  discuss,  first,  what  sin  is — 
disobedience  to  God;  second,  how  God  forgives  us  our 
sins;  third,  what  God  requires  us  to  do  in  order  to  obtain 
forgiveness. 

Application. — Help  the  class  to  reach  this  conclusion: 
we  must  avoid  sin  by  obedience,  and  if  we  sin  must  seek 
forgiveness  by  contrition,  confession,  and  amendment. 

Generalisation. — Let  the  class  repeat  or  read  the  Apostles' 
Creed  until  they  reach  the  article  with  which  we  have  just 
dealt.     Let  them  say  what  it  is.     Print  it  on  the  board. 

Memory  Work.— Cat.  120,  121,  122,  126,  127. 

Expression  Work. — Write  or  draw  the  story. 

Print  and  illuminate  the  three  parts  of  confession. 


ARTICLE  XL 
"  The  Resurrection  of  the  body." 

Teacher's  Thought. — "  We  beUeve  that  we  shall  live 
also  together  with  Christ"     (Rom.  vi.  8). 

60.— Lesson  Subject :  The  Resurrection  oi  the  Body. 

References. — St.  John  xiv.  19;  Rom.  vi.  9;  1  Cor.  xv. 
35-44,  51-55. 

Apparatus. — Sketches,  prepared  beforehand  or  drawn 
in  class,  of  a  grain  and  an  ear  of  wheat,  an  acorn  and  an 
oak,  etc. 

Aim. — To  explain  this  mystery  as  far  as  may  be. 

Introduction. — Ask  which  day  we  keep  holy,  then  ask 
why,  for  God  commanded  the  seventh  day  to  be  kept — 
i.e.,  Saturday — and  this  the  Jews  always  did,  and  even  the 
Christians  too,  at  first.  Question  from  the  class  that  we 
keep  Sunday  because  it  is  the  day  of  the  Resurrection, 
the  day  on  which  our  Lord  conquered  death;  remind 
children  that  He  has  promised  that  we  shall  live  because 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  189 

He  lives  (St.  John  xiv.  19).  Help  them  to  recall  how  St. 
Peter  and  St.  Paul  were  shown  that  the  Catholic  Church 
was  not  bound  to  keep  all  the  rules  which  Moses  gave  to 
the  Jewish  Church,  because  our  Lord  is  Moses'  Lord  also, 
the  Lawgiver  for  heaven  and  earth,  and  can  make  new 
rules  as  He  sees  fit,  and  He  has  inspired  His  Church  to 
keep  Sunday  holy  instead  of  Saturday,  because  it  is  the 
day  of  His  Resurrection,  which  is  the  proof  of  ours. 

Presentation  :  1.  Christ's  Resurrection. — Help  the  class 
to  recall  and  recount  the  story  of  the  Resurrection  and 
the  difference  in  our  Lord's  bodily  activities  then.  Explain 
that  the  body  after  the  resurrection  will  be  the  same  and 
yet  different  from  what  it  was  before;  it  wiU  have  far 
more  wonderful  powers.  We  saw  how  our  Lord  passed 
from  the  grave-clothes  without  disturbing  them,  and 
entered  through  closed  doors;  yet  His  disciples  could 
touch  Him,  and  He  ate  food  with  them  and  prepared  food 
for  them. 

Imagine  a  river  frozen  hard  and  still,  but  when  the 
spring  comes  the  ice  will  melt  and  become  flowing  water, 
and  the  river  will  carry  boats  and  be  the  haunt  of  birds, 
and  roll  between  flower-strewn  banks,  yet  it  is  the  same 
river.  And  our  wonderful  resurrection  bodies  with  theii* 
mighty  powers  will  yet  be  the  same  bodies  as  those  we 
have  now. 

2.  Our  Resurrection. — A  very  clever  workman  makes 
everything  that  he  touches  better  than  it  was  before.  If 
you  take  him  a  broken  doll  or  engine  he  will  not  only 
mend  it  but  improve  it.  (Let  the  class  discuss  the  skill  of 
some  clever  person  whom  they  know.)  Of  course,  all 
cleverness  comes  from  God,  the  great  Maker;  and  when 
we  break  things  and  take  them  to  Him  to  mend  He  always 
makes  them  better  stiU,  instead  of  just  patching  them  up 
and  saying,  "  There,  be  content  with  that." 

We  saw  how  Adam  and  Eve  spoilt  Eden,  but  in  its  place 
our  Lord  has  made  the  Catholic  Church,  and  that  is  better 
still,  for  we  have  Him  far  closer  to  us  in  the  sacraments 


190  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

than  ever  He  was  to  them.  But  He  does  not  mean  us 
to  lose  any  of  the  good  things  which  He  gave  to  Adam 
and  Eve.  They  had  perfectly  strong  and  healthy  and 
beautiful  bodies — look  at  ours  to-day.  (Let  the  children 
mention  any  cripples,  or  ill  persons,  or  wounded  soldiers 
whom  they  know,  any  hospitals,  their  own  childish  ail- 
ments, etc.) 

Supposing  that  we  were  going  to  live  for  ever  with 
these  spoilt  -bodies  of  ours  !  Or  supposing  that  we  were 
going  to  live  for  ever  without  any  bodies  at  all !  Then 
we  should  be  only  half  men.  The  soul  in  the  Dream  of 
Gerontius  could  not  move  hand  or  foot,  it  was  alone,  dis- 
embodied ;  that  is  not  what  God  intends  for  us,  we  cannot 
imagine  it  because  it  is  not  natural  to  us. 

God  made  our  bodies  from  the  dust  of  the  earth;  when 
our  souls  go  to  be  made  ready  for  heaven  in  Purgatory 
our  bodies  will  go  back  to  the  earth  again.  (Produce  a 
handful  of  pence.)  These  pennies  came  from  the  Royal 
Mint  in  London,  where  all  our  money  is  made.  When 
they  left  the  Mint  they  were  as  bright  as  gold,  with  the 
King's  head  clear  upon  them;  now  they  are  worn  and 
dingy.  When  coins  become  very  worn  they  are  collected 
and  taken  back  to  the  Mint  and  thrown  into  the  furnace 
again;  they  come  out  all  bright  and  shining,  a  glittering 
stream  of  molten  metal  which  is  poured  into  moulds  to 
form  bars;  then  the  bars,  when  cold,  are  pressed  between 
enormous  rollers  and  stamped  out  into  coins  once  more: 
new  coins,  but  the  same  old  metal.  The  earth  might 
almost  be  called  God's  Mint;  our  bodies  are  buried,  and 
then  on  the  Resurrection  Day  He  gives  us  new  and  beauti- 
ful bodies  to  fit  our  clean  souls — new,  but  the  same. 

Some  people  call  the  churchyard  "  God's  Acre,"  the 
ground  where  He  sows  His  seed.  They  are  thinking  of 
St.  Paul's  description  of  our  new  resurrection  bodies. 
They  are  like  seeds  sown  in  the  ground,  he  said,  such  as 
wheat  (show  a  grain),  and  at  harvest-time  for  a  grain 
you  reap  an  ear  (show  or  draw),  the  same  as  the  grain, 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  191 

but  how  different !  Or  you  plant  an  acorn  (show  or  draw), 
and  it  comes  up  an  oak.  Yet  the  acorn  and  the  mighty 
oak-tree  are  the  same  thing.  So  our  wonderful  resurrectiorf 
bodies  with  their  mighty  powers  will  be  the  same  bodies 
which  we  now  have,  but  spiritualised,  glorified.  Read  to 
the  class  1  Cor.  xv.  51-55. 

Memory  Work.— Cat.  128,  129,  133. 

Expression  Work. — Write:  what  our  Lord's  Resurrection 
tells  us  about  our  own. 

What  Sunday  means  to  us. 

Draw  a  picture  of  St  Paul's  description  of  the  resurrec- 
tion body. 

ARTICLE  XII. 
"  The  Life  Everlasting." 

Teacher's  Thought. — "  This  is  the  promise  which  He 
hath  promised  us,  life  everlasting"  (1  St.  John  ii.  25). 

61. — Lesson  Subject :  The  Life  Everlasting. 

Aim. — To  explain  this  mystery  as  far  as  may  be. 

Introduction. — A  few  questions  on  the  last  lesson. 

Presentation  :  The  Life  Everlasting. — When  we  are  united 
to  our  bodies,  perfect  souls  in  perfect  bodies,  how  long 
will  this  blissful  life  last  ?  How  do  we  know  this  ?  (Let 
the  class  find  1  St.  John  ii.  25.)  Ask  the  children  to  try 
to  imagine  non-existence;  when  they  find  this  impossible 
explain  that  this  is  one  of  God's  proofs  that  we  shall  live 
for  ever. 

Read  1  Cor.  ii.  9  aloud.  Let  the  children  think  of  some 
of  the  joyous  activities  of  a  perfect  body,  the  delight  of 
being  always  with  those  they  love  best,  above  all  of  being 
with  God.  Let  each  child  recall  his  happiest  day,  pick 
out  from  their  recital  of  joys  those  of  body,  mind,  and 
heart,  show  how  all  these  joys  wiU  be  theirs  in  an  un- 
imaginable degree  in  heaven.  Lay  stress  on  the  activities 
of  the  body,  because  this  joy  is  most  closely  related  to 
the  children's  present  interests. 


192  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

To  love,  to  know,  to  do,  will  be  the  happiness  of  heaven 
for  ever  and  ever. 

*  Review  of  the  Apostles'  Creed. — Draw  a  ch-cle  on  the 
board,  ask  what  it  represents,  and  why;  fill  in  the  three 
circles  or  triangle  as  in  Lesson  1,  ask  for  the  meaning. 
Let  the  class  tell  the  story  of  Creation;  when  they  come 
to  the  creation  of  man  draw  the  small  circles  United  round 
the  large  one,  emphasising  the  'point  from  which  each 
small  one  started;  ask  why  we  represent  man  by  a  cu'cle; 
show  that  it  is  because,  though  he  has  a  beginning,  he  has 
no  end,  he  is  a  child  of  God,  the  Eternal  and  Everlasting 
One. 

Let  the  class  depict  the  happiness  of  Adam  and  Eve 
before  the  Fall — sinless,  the  friends  of  God,  perfect  souls 
in  perfect  bodies,  in  a  perfectly  beautiful  and  happy  state 
which  was  to  continue  for  ever  and  ever.  Continue  the 
review,  assigning  different  portions  to  each  child — the 
incarnation,  life,  and  death  of  our  Lord,  and  its  purpose; 
the  creation  of  the  Church,  which  is  our  way  to  heaven, 
our  Eden;  the  gift  and  powers  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  to  help 
us  to  walk  along  the  way ;  we  made  sinless  and  the  friends 
of  God,  as  were  Adam  and  Eve;  the  Blessed  Sacrament, 
which  brings  us  closer  to  God  than  they  were;  still  better 
things  to  come — heaven,  where  we  shall  see  God  face  to 
face. 

Point  to  the  circle :  what  does  it  mean  ?  Eternity.  Eternal 
happiness  in  heaven,  gained  for  us  by  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ ; 
God's  plan  carried  out  after  all,  in  spite  of  the  sin  of  Adam 
and  Eve. 

"  Blessed  be  the  God  and  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  who  hath  blessed  us  with  all  spiritual  blessings 
in  heavenly  places  in  Christ  "  (Eph.  i.  3). 

Association. — Let  the  class  stand  and  repeat  the  Apostles' 
Creed. 

Application. — Discuss  with  the  children  how  we  can 
best  express  gratitude  for  great  benefits;  help  them  to 
resolve  to  practise  the  Faith — i.e.,  in  some  ^particular  to 


THE  APOSTLES'  CREED  193 

be  suggested  by  the  individual  teacher  from  his  knowledge 
of  the  needs  of  his  class. 

Memory  Work.— Cat.  130,  131,  132,  134. 

Expression  Work. — -Write:  how  God's  plan  was  fulfilled 
after  all. 

Copy  the  circles  which  symbolise  the  Three  Persons  in 
One  God,  and  men  the  children  of  God. 


13 


COURSE  B. 

THE  THREE  EMINENT  GOOD  WORKS. 

Course  Aim. — To  show  that  a  Christian's  duty  is  to  love 
God  above  all  things,  and  his  neighbour  as  himself. 

1.  PRAYER  IN  FIVE  PARTS. 

Teacher's  Thought. — "  The  continual  prayer  of  a  just 
man  availeth  much  "  (St.  James  v.  16). 

62. — Lesson  Subject :  Adoration — Isaias'  Vision. 

References. — 4  Kings  xiv. ;  2  Para.  xxv.  23-28,  xxvi.; 
Isa.  vi.  1-9;  Apoc.  iv. 

Apparatus. — Map  of  Palestine.     Prayer-books. 

Aim. — ^To  show  something  of  the  meaning  of  adoration, 
and  that  it  is  the  first  part  of  prayer. 

Note  to  the  Teacher.  —  A  rabbinic  tradition  says  that 
Isaias  was  a  nephew  of  King  Amasias;  from  the  influence 
which  he  evidently  exercised  at  court  it  has  also  been 
inferred  that  he  was  of  royal  blood.  On  this  assumption 
he  is  here  spoken  of  as  a  kinsman  of  the  king. 

Introduction. — Question  the  children  on  their  favourite 
heroes;  lead  them  to  think  of  the  gratitude  felt  towards 
a  great  man  who  has  been  a  benefactor  to  his  country — 
i.e.,  Marshal  Foch. 

Presentation:  1.  Isaias'  Hero-king.  —  Awe  and  dread 
filled  the  hearts  of  the  people  of  Jerusalem.  Amasias  the 
king  had  fled,  but  his  pursuers  were  hard  upon  his  heels. 
Would  he  escape  ?  It  were  hardly  to  be  wished,  for  the 
elders  of  the  people  had  decreed  that  he  must  die,  for 

194 


THE  THREE  EMINENT  GOOD  WORKS       195 

he  had  revolted  from  'the  Lord.  How  should  one  who  no 
longer  served  the  Lord  be  a  true  servant  of  the  people  ? 
The  hearts  of  the  people  were  sad;  the  country  was  poor 
and  her  enemies  strong,  the  very  walls  of  Jerusalem  had 
been  broken  down  by  them.  Leaning  from  those  ruined 
battlements  the  watchers  could  see  a  little  band  of  horse- 
men approaching,  bearing  something  in  their  midst.  They 
are  bringing  the  king  to  be  buried  with  his  fathers  in  the 
city  of  David.  "  The  king  is  dead !  Long  live  the 
king  !"  and  his  young  son  Ozias  is  crowned  King  of 
Judah. 

Ozias,  "  Strength  of  the  Lord,"  a  splendid  name  for  a 
splendid  hero:  so  must  have  thought  his  young  kinsman 
Isaias  who  loved  him  devotedly,  and  whose  heart  swelled 
with  pride  over  all  his  great  deeds.  The  foes  of  the  land 
were  many  and  fierce,  but  Ozias  organised  the  army  and 
led  it  to  battle,  and  the  PhiHstines  and  the  Edomites  and 
the  Ammonites  went  down  before  him  (indicate  enemy 
territories  on  map),  so  that  "  his  name  was  spread  abroad 
even  to  the  entrance  of  Egypt  for  his  frequent  victories." 
Then  Ozias  rebuilt  the  walls  of  Jerusalem  which  his  father's 
enemy,  the  King  of  Israel,  had  so  insolently  thrown  down; 
"  and  he  made  in  Jerusalem  engines  of  divers  kinds,  which 
he  placed  in  the  towers,  and  in  the  corners  of  the  walls, 
to  shoot  arrows  and  great  stones:  and  his  name  went  far 
abroad,  for  the  Lord  helped  him  and  had  strengthened 
him."  And  at  home  there  was  peace  and  prosperity;  he 
taught  his  people  how  to  farm  their  land  and  care  for 
their  flocks  and  herds,  "  for  he  was  a  man  that  loved 
husbandry";  and  he  rebuilt  the  seaport  town  of  ^lath 
on  the  Red  Sea,  and  restored  it  to  Judah,  that  his  people 
might  trade  with  other  lands  and  gain  wealth.  Truly  a 
worthy  hero-king. 

2.  Isaias'  Fallen  Hero. — Ask  the  class  how  Ozias  would 
behave  towards  God  through  Whose  strength  he  had  done 
so  much.  He  did  serve  the  Lord  truly  for  many  years, 
but  at  length  there  came  a  time  when  "  his  heart  was  hfted 


196  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

up  to  his  destruction."  Was  he  not  a  great  king?  thought 
Ozias  to  himself — surely  the  greatest  of  all  kings;  surely 
any  and  every  post  of  honour  and  dignity  should  be  his. 
Why  should  not  he  offer  incense  in  the  Temple,  as  one 
king  to  another  ?  It  was  foolish  to  say  that  only  priests 
might  offer  incense,  he  was  far  greater  than  any  priest. 
He  had  made  up  his  mind,  and  protest  from  the  priests 
was  useless.  Ozias  went  into  the  Temple,  right  up  to  the 
altar  of  incense  in  the  Holy  Place.  But  Azarias  the  priest, 
and  with  him  eighty  other  priests,  "  most  valiant  men," 
followed  after  him,  and  withstood  him,  taking  their  lives 
in  their  hands.  "  It  doth  not  belong  to  thee,  Ozias,  to 
burn  incense  to  the  Lord,"  he  cried.  "  Go  out  of  the 
sanctuary,  do  not  insult  the  Lord."  But  Ozias  in  a  fury 
raised  his  censer  on  high,  defying  the  Lord  and  His  priests. 
And  the  vengeance  of  God  fell  upon  him,  and  there  before 
the  altar  of  incense  he  was  stricken  with  leprosy.  The 
priests  made  a  movement  to  thrust  him  out,  but  there 
was  no  need,  for  "  himself  also  being  frighted,  hasted  to 
go  out,  because  he  had  quickly  felt  the  stroke  of  the 
Lord." 

Thus  Ozias  the  king,  the  mighty  hero,  fell  from  his  high 
estate;  he  insulted  the  King  of  kings,  and  ended  his  days 
miserably  in  a  lazar  house,  a  wretched  leper.  We  can  well 
beheve  that  this  almost  broke  Isaias'  heart. 

3.  Isaias  and  the  King  of  Kings. — Ozias  was  dead  at  last; 
it  must  have  been  a  relief  to  Isaias  to  know  that  his  suffer- 
ings were  ended.  He  went  up  to  the  Temple,  perhaps  to 
pray  for  him;  and  there  he  would  picture  that  dreadful 
scene  all  over  again,  pondering  over  it,  wondering  why 
such  an  awful  punishment  had  befallen  him.  And  then, 
suddenly,  he  understood.  A  glorious  vision  filled  his  eyes. 
"  I  saw  the  Lord  high  and  lifted  up,"  he  tells  us,  "  and 
His  train  fiUed  the  Temple."  (Continue  in  the  words  of 
Isa.  vi.  2-7.)  The  might  and  majesty  and  glory  and  un- 
speakable hoUness  of  the  Lord  had  been  revealed  to  Isaias 
in  one  blinding  flash.     Why,  even  the  very  Seraphim  can 


THE  THREE  EMINENT  GOOD  WORKS      197 

only  adore  in  His  presence,  veiling  their  faces  in  lowliest 
reverence.  With  four  of  their  great  wings  they  express 
their  adoration,  covering  their  faces  and  their  feet,  leaving 
only  two  for  flying,  because  adoration  comes  before  service. 
Ozias  forgot  this,  he  thought  his  mighty  works  made  him 
able  to  stand  as  an  equal  before  God.  Isaias  knew  now 
why  punishment  befell  him.  In  the  presence  of  the  Lord 
we  must  first  acknowledge  His  majesty.  His  infinite  per- 
fection. His  complete  ownership  of  us — that  is,  we  must 
adore  Him.  And  Isaias  adored,  confessing  his  sinfulness 
and  unworthiness  in  the  sight  of  the  All-Holy  One;  and 
then  he  heard  the  voice  of  the  Lord  asking  for  his  service, 
and  he  cried  joyfully:  "  Lo,  here  am  I,  send  me,"  and  the 
Lord  said,  "  Go." 

Thus  Isaias  learnt  that  adoration  is  the  first  part  of 
prayer,  and  the  most  important  part,  because  without  it 
everything  else  is  worthless. 

Association. — Describe  St.  John's  vision  of  the  worship 
of  heaven  in  Apoc.  iv.,  emphasising  the  continual  repetition 
of  the  Sanctus  by  the  four  living  creatures.  Ask  when 
the  Church  uses  these  words,  drawing  from  the  class  that 
at  Mass  we  are  in  the  immediate  presence  of  God,  and  that, 
therefore,  just  before  the  Lord  is  expected  on  the  altar, 
"  with  angels  and  archangels  and  with  all  the  company 
of  heaven,"  we  also  sing  the  Sanctus  in  humblest  adoration. 
Let  the  class  find  it  in  their  Prayer-books. 

Application. — Show  that  at  the  beginning  of  all  praj^er 
we  should  call  to  mind  that  we  are  in  the  presence  of  the 
Lord  Almighty,  our  Father  Who  is  in  heaven,  and  make 
an  act  of  reverential  love,  of  adoration. 

Memory  Work. — The  Sanctus  in  Latin  and  EngHsh. 

Expression  Work. — Describe  Isaias'  vision. 

Write  the  fife  of  Ozias. 

Write  a  short  "  act  of  adoration." 


198  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

63. — Lesson  Subject :  Praise — Anna  and  our 
Lady. 

References. — 1  Kings  i.,  ii.  1-10;  St.  Luke  i.  26-55. 

Apparatus. — A  picture  of  the  Visitation. 

Aim. — To  show  that  praise  is  an  important  part  of 
prayer. 

Introduction. — Question  the  children  on  what  they  wish 
to  do  at  once  on  hearing  good  news.  Then  question  on  the 
wonderful  news  brought  to  our  Lady  at  the  Annunciation, 
and  ask  what  they  think  she  would  be  likely  to  do. 

Presentation  :  1.  Our  Lady's  Journey. — Our  Lady  had 
no  mother  to  whom  she  could  teU  her  wonderful  news,  but 
she  had  a  dear  cousin,  St.  Elizabeth,  who  was  much  older 
than  she  was  and  would  be  able  to  advise  her.  The  angel 
had  told  our  Lady  that  God  was  sending  a  little  baby  to 
St.  Elizabeth  also,  so  she  would  be  doubly  interested  in  her 
wonderful  story.  Mary  started  off  at  once  to  visit  her 
cousin,  probably  the  very  next  day.  She  had  a  long  walk 
before  her,  right  up  into  the  hills;  but  it  was  spring-time, 
and  all  around  were  lovely  flowers,  the  beautiful  red  and 
purple  anemones  and  many  others.  It  is  said  that  as  our 
Lady  walked  along  lilies  grew  up  where  her  feet  had 
trodden. 

2.  Our  Lady's  Thoughts  on  the  Way. — Ask  the  class 
what  our  Lady  would  be  thinking  of  during  her  long  walk 
— her  wonderful  news,  her  favourite  stories  (ask  what 
was  her  story-book).  There  was  one  story  which  she 
loved  and  probably  thought  of  now,  the  story  of  another 
mother  to  whom  God  gave  a  little  son : 

Long  ago  there  lived  a  woman  named  Anna,  and  she  had  no 
child.  She  and  her  husband  longed  and  prayed  for  a  little 
baby.  One  day  they  went  together  to  God's  House,  and 
Elcana,  her  husband,  brought  presents,  and  Anna  knelt 
down  and  prayed  very  earnestly  to  God  to  give  her  a 
little  son.  The  high-priest  watched  her  praying,  and  at 
last  said  to  her  ."Go  in  peace:  and  the  God  of  Israel  grant 


THE  THREE  EMINENT  GOOD  WORKS       199 

thee  thy  petition,  which  thou  hast  asked  of  Him."  Then 
Anna  felt  very  happy,  for  she  knew  that  this  was  a  message 
from  God  Himself,  Who  had  answered  her  prayer;  so  she 
returned  home,  and  presently  God  gave  her  a  little  baby 
boy.  Anna  called  him  Samuel,  meaning,  "  Asked  of 
God";  and  when  he  was  old  enough  she  brought  him  to 
God's  House,  and  gave  him  to  God  to  be  His  servant  for 
the  rest  of  his  life. 

Then  Anna  sang  a  beautiful  song  of  praise  to  God  because 
she  was  so  happy ;  our  Lady  must  have  known  it  by  heart, 
perhaps  she  sang  it  as  she  walked  along. 

Read  to  the  class  1  Kings  ii.  1,  2,  7,  8  first  half,  9,  10. 

3.  Our  Lady's  Song  of  Praise. — Presently  our  Lady 
reached  St.  Elizabeth's  house,  and  she  came  out  to  meet 
her,  exclaiming,  "  Blessed  art  thou  among  women,  and 
blessed  is  the  fruit  of  thy  womb.  And  whence  is  this  to 
me  that  the  mother  of  my  Lord  should  come  to  me  ?" 
For  God  Himself  had  told  St.  EHzabeth  that  Mary  was 
the  Mother  of  God.  Then  our  Lady  answered  with  a 
wonderful  song  of  praise  to  God,  a  song  which  is  said  daily 
in  the  Office  by  priests  and  religious,  a  song  which  most 
Christians  sing  every  Sunday  evening  at  least,  because  it 
is  the  song  composed  by  our  Lady  herself.  It  is  called  the 
Magnificat,  from  the  word  in  Latin  with  which  it  begins, 
meaning  to  magnify  or  praise  God. 

Read  selected  verses  of  the  Magnificat  to  the  class,  or 
let  the  children  read  them  for  themselves.  Ask  of  what 
other  song  this  reminds  us,  and  why  we  feel  sure  that  our 
Lady  knew  Anna's  song  by  heart.  Let  such  children  as 
are  able  compare  the  two  songs. 

Ask  what  these  songs  are  about,  leading  the  class  to  see 
that  they  speak  only  of  the  glory  and  might  of  God,  not 
asking  Him  to  do  anything,  but  praising  Him  for  what 
He  has  done.  Explain  that  this  is  praise,  which  should 
always  be  a  part  of  our  prayers.  It  foUows  naturally  after 
adoration.  Let  the  class  say  why  Anna  and  our  Lady 
sang  their  songs  of  praise. 


200  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

Application. — Ask  what  little  song  of  praise  we  can 
frequently  repeat — e.g.,  "  0  Sacrament  most  holy,  etc." 

Memory  Work.— Cat.  161,  162,  163,  164,  or  the  first  five 
verses  of  the  Magnificat,  or  the  Divine  Praises. 

Expression  Work. — Write  one  of  the  stories. 

Print  a  verse  of  the  Magnificat. 

64. — Lesson  Subject :  Thanksgiving — The  Birth 
of  St.  John  Baptist. 

References.— St.  Lukei.  5-23,  56-79. 
Apparatus. — Plan  of  the  Temple  or  sketch  of  the  altar 
of  incense.     Prayer-books. 

Aim. — To  show  that  thanksgiving  is  an  important  part 
of  prayer. 

Note  to  the  Teacher. — In  the  service  of  the  Temple  there 
were  about  20,000  officiating  priests;  they  were  divided 
into  twenty-four  courses,   and  each  course  was  on  duty 
twice  a  year   (Josephus).     Lots  were  cast  to  determine 
who  should  offer  incense  in  the  Holy  Place — the  most 
solemn  part  of  the  day's  service.     This  might  only  be 
done  once  in  a  lifetime,   and  afterwards  the  priest  was 
called  "  rich."     Zachary  did  not  live  in  one  of  the  great 
priest  centres,  but  up  in  the  hill  country  of  Judea;  but 
though  he  lived  such  a  quiet  and  retired  life  he  was  entitled 
to  distinction  as  being  a  priest,  married  to  the  daughter 
of  a  priest,  which  was  considered  a  twofold  honour.     He 
must   have  been   well  known  in   the  Temple,  being  now 
over  sixty  at  least,   sixty  years  being  considered   "  the 
commencement  of  agedness."     A  priest  was  not  prevented 
from  exercising  his  office  by  age,  but  only  by  infirmity; 
it  is  therefore  probable   that  Zachary   missed   a   course 
whilst  waiting  for  the  birth  of  his  son;  it  seems  evident 
from  St.  Luke  i.  62  that  he  became  deaf  siS  well  as  dumb. 
The  Jewish  writing-tablet  was  a  slab  covered  with  wax 
on  which  letters  were  engi'aved  with  a  pointed  iron  stylus; 
a  flat,  thick  metal  "  blotter  "  for  smoothing  out  the  wax, 
and  a  little  vessel  of  fresh  wax,  completed  the  outfit. 


THE  THREE  EMINENT  GOOD  WORKS       201 

Introduction. — A  few  questions  on  the  previous  lesson. 

Presentation  :  1.  Zachary*s  Story.— Our  Lady  stayed 
three  months  with  St.  Elizabeth  and  her  husband;  one 
thing  must  have  puzzled  her  very  much  at  first,  she  found 
that  Zachary,  since  she  had  last  seen  him,  had  become 
deaf  and  dumb.  Elizabeth  had  to  make  signs  to  him,  or 
write  things  on  a  slate  (describe),  and  he  answered  in  the 
same  way. 

No  doubt  our  Lady  asked  what  had  happened  to  Zachary, 
and  St.  Elizabeth  would  tell  her  the  story  as  he  had  written 
it  down  for  her,  bit  by  bit. 

In  the  autumn  Zachary  had  gone  up  to  the  Temple  to 
perform  his  priestly  duties,  as  he  did  twice  a  year.  The 
duties  of  Jewish  priests  were  very  different  from  those  of 
Christian  priests;  they  could  only  be  performed  in  the 
Temple,  and  as  there  were  at  least  20,000  priests  they 
could  not  all  be  there  at  once.  They  were  divided  into 
twenty-four  sets,  and  each  set  went  up  twice  a  year  for 
about  a  week.  Only  once  in  a  lifetime  might  a  priest 
perform  the  most  sacred  service  of  all — the  offering  of 
incense  in  the  Holy  Place.  God  Himself  chose  who  was 
to  do  it;  there  would  be  about  fifty  priests  on  duty  each 
day,  and  after  earnest  prayer  they  cast  lots  to  see  who 
was  chosen.  For  years  and  years  Zachary  had  served  in 
the  Temple,  but  had  never  been  chosen,  and  now  at  last 
the  lot  fell  on  him.     How  glad  he  was  ! 

He  chose  his  two  dearest  friends  to  assist  him.  One 
went  to  the  altar  and  took  away  all  the  ashes  left  from 
the  last  service,  and,  worshipping,  retired  backwards; 
then  the  other  brought  red-hot  coals  from  the  altar  of 
burnt  offering  and  carefully  spread  them  aU  over  the  golden 
altar  of  incense,  worshipped,  and  retired.  The  sound  of 
music  was  now  heard,  teUing  the  people  that  the  service 
was  about  to  begin.  Zachary  entered  the  Holy  Place 
alone,  carrying  the  golden  censer  filled  with  incense,  the 
soft  light  from  the  golden  seven-branched  candlestick 
shone  around;  he  spread  the  incense  on  the  glowing  coals 


202  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

upon  the  altar,  and  waited,  praying  whilst  it  kindled; 
without,  priests  and  people  prostrated  themselves  in  the 
Temple  courts,  praying  earnestly.  It  was  the  most 
wonderful  moment  of  Zachary's  life:  he  had  never  offered 
the  incense  before,  he  never  would  again;  as  the  fragrant 
smoke  ascended  he  offered  with  it  the  dearest  wish  of  his 
heart — we  know  what  that  was,  for  he  and  Elizabeth  were 
childless.  He  was  just  about  to  bow  down  in  worship 
and  then  withdraw  when  he  saw  a  marvellous  sight: 
between  the  golden  candlestick  and  the  altar  there  stood 
an  angel !  Zachary  was  astonished  and  troubled,  but  the 
angel  said  to  him:  "Fear  not,  Zachary,  thy  prayer  is 
heard,  Elizabeth  shall  have  a  son,  and  his  name  shall  be 
John;  and  he  shall  be  a  great  servant  of  the  Lord."  But 
Zachary  felt  that  it  was  too  good  to  be  true,  and  he  said 
so.  Then  the  angel  looked  sternly  upon  him,  and  said, 
"I  am  Gabriel  who  stand  before  God;  and  am  sent  to 
bring  thee  these  good  tidings  ";  and  he  added  that  because 
Zachary  did  not  believe  him  he  should  be  dumb  until  the 
child  was  born. 

Then  Zachary  came  out  from  the  Holy  Place  to  the 
waiting  people,  who  wondered  what  had  delayed  him  for 
so  long;  but  as  they  looked  at  him  they  knew  that  some- 
thing strange  and  wonderful  had  happened,  and  he  could 
not  speak  to  give  them  the  blessing. 

2.  Zachary's  Son  is  born.  —  We  can  imagine  how  our 
Lady  and  St.  Elizabeth  would  talk  over  these  wonderful 
things.  Soon  after  our  Lady  had  gone  home  to  Nazareth 
St.  Elizabeth's  little  son  was  born.  When  the  baby  was 
eight  days  old  the  friends  of  Zachary  and  Elizabeth  came 
to  be  present  at  the  solemn  ceremony  of  circumcision,  which 
made  Jewish  babies  members  of  the  Jewish  Church,  just 
as  Baptism  now  makes  our  babies  members  of  the  Catholic 
Church.  At  this  ceremony  the  babies  were  named.  "  We 
will  call  him  Zachary,  after  his  father,"  they  said.  But 
his  mother  answered,  "  Not  so,  but  he  shall  be  called 
John."     "Why  John?"  they  asked;  "you  have  no  rela- 


THE  THREE  EMINENT  GOOD  WORKS      203 

tions  of  that  name";  and  they  made  signs  to  Zachary  to 
tell  them  what  he  wished  the  baby's  name  to  be.  Zachary 
asked  for  a  writing-tablet  and  wrote,  "  His  name  is  John." 
And  instantly  he  could  hear  and  speak  again  ! 

3.  Zachary's  Song  o!  Thanksgiving.— Then  a  feeling  of 
great  gratitude  to  God  filled  Zachary' s  heart,  and  he  sang 
a  most  beautiful  song  of  thanksgiving,  beginning  "  Blessed 
be  the  God  of  Israel,"  in  which  he  thanked  God  for  all 
His  kindness,  and  especially  for  the  Promised  One  Who 
was  about  to  come.  Whose  servant  his  own  little  son  was 
to  be.  This  song  of  Zachary  is  caUed  the  Bcnedictus, 
from  its  first  word ;  it  is  still  used  daily  in  the  Office  of  the 
Church. 

Association.  —  Let  the  class  find  the  Bemdictus  (St. 
Luke  i.  68-79)  and  read  it  through;  then  ask  which  verse 
is  about  the  Httle  John,  and  Who  is  the  Highest  Whom 
he  is  going  to  serve.  Let  the  children  recall  to  mind  the 
visitor  who  has  lately  left  Zachary' s  house,  and  Who  her 
Son  is;  explain  that  the  Holy  Spirit  had  just  told  Zachary 
that  his  boy  should  serve  the  Lord  Christ,  Who  was  soon 
to  be  born  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary,  and  it  was  this 
which  made  him  so  glad  and  thankful.  Ask  when  the 
Promised  One  comes  to  us.  Let  the  class  find  the  Gloria 
in  excelsis  and  read  the  first  half  (down  to  "  almighty  "); 
let  them  note  the  three  parts  of  prayer  mentioned  here 
of  which  we  have  now  learnt.  Briefly  recapitulate,  show- 
ing that  adoration  leads  to  praise  and  praise  leads  to 
thanksgiving. 

Application. — Lead  the  children  to  form  a  resolution  to 
thanli  God  every  night  for  His  daily  kindnesses. 

Memory  Work. — The  first  half  of  the  Gloria  in  excelsis, 
or  a  few  verses  of  the  Benedictus. 

Expression  Work. — Write  the  story. 

Print  a  verse  of  the  Benedictus. 

Make  a  short  prayer  of  thanksgiving. 


204  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

65.— Lesson  Subject :  Contrition— The  Prodigal 
Son. 

Reference.— St.  Luke  xv.  1,  2,  11-32. 

Apparatus. — Pictures  illustrative  of  the  story. 

Aim. — To  teach  that  contrition  and  confession  bring 
forgiveness,  and  are  therefore  a  necessary  part  of  prayer. 

Introduction. — A  few  questions  on  the  three  parts  of 
prayer  aheady  learned. 

Introductory  Presentation. — Some  of  the  people  whom 
our  Lord  often  met  felt  that  they  knew  all  that  there  was 
to  know  about  prayer.  These  were  the  Pharisees  (let  the 
class  tell  what  they  know  of  them).  Of  course  they  did 
know  a  good  deal  about  prayer,  and  they  might  have 
known  much  more  had  they  not  thought  themselves  too 
clever  to  learn.  They  knew  all  about  Isaias'  vision  in 
the  Temple,  they  knew  Anna's  song  which  our  Lady  had 
in  mind  when  she  sang  her  song  of  praise,  and  they  knew 
the  Psalms  of  David  which  Zachary  remembered  when  he 
sang  his  song  of  thanksgiving.  But  there  was  one  part 
of  prayer  of  which  they  knew  nothing.  At  the  end  of  the 
lesson  we  shall  see  what  it  is. 

First,  let  us  picture  a  scene  which  often  happened. 

The  Lord  Jesus  is  standing  talking  to  a  little  group  of 
men  who  are  listening  eagerly  to  what  He  is  saying.  Many 
of  them  are  poor,  others  are  very  well  off,  but  all  of  them 
are  very  much  disliked  by  the  Pharisees,  for  they  are 
tax-collectors.  (Let  the  class  tell  why  they  are  disliked.) 
Even  though  they  have  done  wrong  the  Lord  Jesus  will 
not  turn  against  them;  He  is  trying  to  make  them  do 
better  in  future.  (Let  children  instance  Zacheus.) 
Presently  He  walks  away  with  these  publicans;  He  is  going 
to  have  supper  with  them.  At  a  little  distance  some 
Pharisees  are  standing;  they  watch  Him  indignantly. 
"  How  can  He  be  friends  with  such  people  ?"  they  mutter; 
it  never  occurs  to  them  that  these  men  may  be  good  now 
even  if  they  were  bad  once.     They  do  not  understand  that 


THE  THREE  EMINENT  GOOD  WORKS       205 

a  sin  is  wiped  away  when  you  are  sorry  for  it  and  confess 
it.  They  have  never  owned  up  to  a  sin  in  their  lives  • 
But  the  Lord  Jesus  meant  to  teach  them  that  there  was 
a  part  of  prayer  about  which  they  knew  nothing,  and  so 
one  day  He  told  them  this  story : 

1.  The  Prodigal  Son  leaves  Home.— There  was  once  a 
man  who  had  houses  and  land  and  servants,  and  two  sons, 
to  whom  he  meant  to  leave  all  his  wealth  some  day. 
Meanwhile  he  gave  them  everything  they  could  wish  for. 
But  the  younger  son  thought  that  he  would  like  to  leave 
home  and  enjoy  himself  out  in  the  world;  so  he  went  to 
his  father  one  day,  and  asked  if  he  might  have  his  share 
of  the  property  now;  he  never  stopped  to  think  that  it 
would  make  his  father  poorer  if  he  gave  away  his  money 
during  his  Ufetime,  and  that  he,  being  young  and  strong, 
ought  to  earn  some  for  himself;  and  his  father  did  not 
remind  him  of  this,  but  gave  him  the  money  as  he  asked. 

So  the  son  took  his  father's  money  and  wasted  it;  he 
simply  threw  it  away.  Instead  of  trading  with  it,  or 
putting  it  in  the  bank,  he  spent  it  anyhow.  That  is  why 
he  is  called  the  "  prodigal  "  son;  it  means  "  wasteful." 

He  made  friends  with  foolish  and  wicked  people,  and 
they  encouraged  him  to  be  extravagant,  and  very  soon 
his  money  was  all  gone.  Then  his  new  friends  cast  him 
off  and  he  began  to  starve.  At  last  he  got  work  as  a  pig- 
keeper,  work  which  was  thought  to  be  a  disgrace  for  a 
Jew,  as  the  law  of  Moses  forbade  them  to  eat  pork  or 
touch  pigs.  He  had  to  drive  the  pigs  into  the  fields  and 
shake  down  for  them  the  pods  of  the  carob-tree,  for  pigs 
in  Palestine  feed  upon  these  bitter  bean-like  pods  as  our 
English  pigs  eat  acorns.  The  young  man  was  so  hungry 
that  he  ate  the  carob  pods  too — he  had  nothing  else. 

2.  The  Prodigal  Son  returns  Home.— One  day  the  son 
seemed  to  wake  up  from  a  dream.  He  suddenly  saw  how 
wicked  he  had  been;  how  badly  he  had  treated  his  father 
by  taking  his  money  in  the  first  place,  and  by  leaving  him 
as  soon  as  he  had  got  it ;  how  wrong  it  was  to  have  wasted 


206  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

it  all  instead  of  putting  it  to  use.  He  remembered  how 
kind  his  father  had  always  been  to  him,  how  kind  he  was 
even  to  his  servants;  they  always  had  enough  to  eat,  while 
he  was  starving!  Then  he  said  to  himself:  "1  will  go 
back  to  my  father  and  will  tell  him  that  I  know  now  that 
I  have  done  wrong  in  the  sight  of  God,  and  have  sinned 
against  him  by  my  wicked  behaviour;  and  I  will  ask  him 
to  let  me  work  for  him  as  a  servant  because  1  am  no  more 
worthy  to  be  called  a  son."  So  he  left  his  pig-keeping, 
and  started  on  the  long  tramp  back  to  his  father's 
house. 

At  last  he  came  within  sight  of  home.  How  glad  he 
was  to  see  it  again,  how  he  wished  that  he  had  never  left. 
For  now  he  was  no  longer  a  son,  he  thought,  he  wo  uld  only 
rank  as  a  servant  and  was  not  worthy  even  of  that. 
Would  his  father  ever  forgive  him  and  take  him  back  ? 
Who  was  that  coming  to  meet  him  ?  Surely  he  knew  his 
walk  !  It  must  be  his  father  himself  !  He  was  running 
now.  Was  it  to  drive  him  away  ?  But  in  another  moment 
he  was  in  his  father's  arms,  and  he  was  kissing  him  and 
embracing  him  just  as  if  he  had  never  done  wrong 
at  all. 

3.  The  Prodigal  Son  confesses  his  Sin. — But  the  son 
could  not  feel  happy  till  he  had  confessed  his  sin,  so  he 
said  at  once — (v.  21);  but  he  did  not  add,  "  make  me  as 
one  of  the  servants,"  because  he  saw  that  his  father  still 
loved  him  as  a  son;  he  would  therefore  make  amends  in 
some  other  way.  Then  the  father  called  to  the  servants 
to  make  haste  and  bring  the  robe  and  ring  of  honour, 
with  shoes  for  his  feet,  and  to  get  ready  a  great  feast,  for 
the  returned  one  was  to  be  treated  as  an  honoured  guest. 
Very  soon  all  was  ready,  and  the  son  who  had  confessed 
his  sin  and  been  forgiven  sat  down  with  his  father  and 
his  friends  to  a  splendid  dinner,  while  musicians  made 
sweet  music,  and  everyone  was  glad  because  he  had  come 
home  again. 

The  elder  son  was  not  at  home  when  the  younger  returned, 


THE  THREE  EMINENT  GOOD  WORKS       207 

he  was  busy  on  the  farm.  As  he  drew  near  the  house  he 
heard  sounds  of  music  and  dancing  and  noticed  the  servants 
hurrying  to  and  fro.  He  called  one  of  them  and  asked 
what  had  happened.  The  servant  repHed  that  his  brother 
had  returned,  and  that  his  father  had  made  a  great  feast 
in  his  honour.  Then  the  elder  brother  was  very  angry 
and  would  not  go  in;  therefore  his  father  came  out  and 
begged  him  to  be  pleasant.  But  he  answered  sulldly: 
"  Fancy  making  such  a  fuss  over  that  boy  who  has  behaved 
so  badly;  fancy  overlooking  everything  and  treating  him 
just  as  if  nothing  had  happened.  /  have  always  behaved 
properly,  and  yet  you  never  made  a  feast  for  me."  But 
his  father  answered  gently:  (verses  31,  32). 

Association. — Ask  what  kind  of  prayer  our  Lord  here 
taught  the  Pharisees.  Show  how  the  prodigal  son  first 
felt  contrition,  which  led  on  to  confession,  and  showed 
itself  in  a  firm  purpose  of  amendment — i.e.,  he  meant  to 
make  up  for  his  wastefulness  by  working  hard  as  a  servant ; 
and  when  he  saw  that  his  father  would  not  permit  that, 
we  cannot  doubt  that  he  purposed  to  work  hard  as 
a  son. 

Let  the  class  find  the  Gloria  in  excdsis  again,  and  note 
how  it  continues;  let  them  read  to  "receive  our  prayer," 
and  show  that  this  is  a  prayer  for  forgiveness.  Explain 
that  this  naturally  follows  after  thanksgiving,  because 
when  we  have  thought  of  all  God's  goodness  to  us  that 
brings  to  our  minds  all  the  wrong  we  have  done  to  Him. 
A  wise  person  once  said  that  one  of  the  best  ways  of  making 
one's  self-examination  was  by  thanking  God  for  His  kind- 
ness during  the  day. 

Application. — Lead  the  class  to  form  a  resolution  of 
nightly  self-examination. 

Memory  Work. — The  Gloria  in  excelsis  from  "  O  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  "  to  "  receive  our  prayer." 

Expression  Work.— Write  or  draw  the  stoiy. 


208  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

66.— Lesson  Subject :  (A)  Petition— Christ's 
Petitioners. 

References.— St.  John  iv.  46-54  ;  St.  Luke  ix.  37-43  ; 
St.  Mcark  x.  46-52;  St.  Luke  xii.  13-15. 

Apparatus. — Pictures  of  the  scenes,  preferably  Hole's 
Nos.  44  and  51. 

Aim. — To  show  that  petition  is  a  rightful  part  of  prayer, 
and  that  God  answers  such  prayer,  but  not  when  it  is 
prompted  by  self-love. 

Introduction. — Question  on  the  opening  clause  of  the 
Lord's  Prayer;  ask  what  it  teaches  us  about  God;  ask 
when  we  were  made  His  children. 

Introductory  Presentation. — When  the  Lord  Jesus  was  on 
earth  He  taught  us  a  great  deal  about  our  Father  in  heaven. 
He  explained  that  He  Himself  did  what  God  the  Father 
does.  "  I  and  My  Father  are  one,"  He  said;  so  that  by 
watching  the  Lord  Jesus  people  might  learn  what  God 
the  Father  would  do.  Now  let  us  see  what  Christ  did 
when  people  came  to  Him  for  help. 

1.  Christ  and  the  Ruler. — There  was  a  certain  Jewish 
nobleman,  an  official  in  the  court  of  Herod,  who  lived  at 
Capharnaum.  A  great  sorrow  had  come  to  him,  his  son 
was  so  ill  that  the  doctors  thought  that  he  must  die.  But 
the  nobleman  had  a  ray  of  hope;  he  heard  that  the  great 
prophet,  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  was  at  Cana,  only  twenty-five 
miles  off,  and  he  determined  to  go  to  Him  for  help.  So 
he  journeyed  to  Cana,  found  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  begged 
him  to  come  down  to  Capharnaum  and  heal  his  son. 
"  Unless  you  see  signs  and  wonders  you  beUeve  not,"  our 
Lord  said.  "  Lord,  come  down  before  my  son  dies,"  the 
nobleman  begged  again.  But  the  Lord  Jesus  answered 
his  prayer  in  His  own  way.  He  first  tested  his  faith. 
"  Go  thy  way,  thy  son  liveth,"  He  said,  and  the  ruler 
believed  without  seeing ;  he  went  homewards,  eager  to  see 
his  son.  As  he  neared  Capharnaum  his  servants  met  him 
and  told  him  that  his  son  lived,   and  was  doing  well. 


THE  THREE  EMINENT  GOOD  WORKS      209 

"  When  did  he  begin  to  get  better  ?"  he  asked.  "  Yester- 
day evening,  about  seven  o'clock,"  they  answered,  and  the 
father  knew  that  it  was  at  the  very  time  when  Jesus  had 
said,  "  Thy  son  hveth." 

2.  Christ  and  the  Demoniac  Child. — The  Lord  Jesus  and 
His  three  dearest  friends  were  coming  down  from  the 
mountain  where  He  had  been  transfigured.  At  the  bottom 
of  the  mountain  they  saw  a  crowd  of  people  and  heard 
wild  cries.  Then  a  man  came  running  towards  them, 
crying:  "  Master,  I  beseech  Thee  look  upon  my  son;  he  is 
my  only  child,  and  a  wicked  spirit  seizes  him  and  throws 
him  into  convulsions  and  hurts  him  greatly  so  that  he 
cries  out,  and  I  can  do  nothing  for  him;  and  I  asked  Thy 
disciples  to  cast  out  the  devil  and  they  could  not."  Then 
Jesus  said,  "  Bring  hither  thy  son,"  and  as  he  was  coming 
the  poor  child  had  another  fit;  but  the  Lord  rebuked  the 
wicked  spirit  and  commanded  it  to  leave  the  boy  and 
never  come  back  again,  and  He  healed  the  child  and  gave 
him  back  to  his  father. 

3.  Christ  and  the  Bhnd  Man  at  Jericho. — The  Lord  Jesus 
was  walking  out  from  Jericho  with  a  crowd  of  people 
round  Him.  Above  the  noise  of  the  crowd  He  heard  a 
sad  voice  crying,  over  and  over  again,  "  Jesus,  Son  of 
David,  have  mercy  on  me."  Then  the  Lord  stood  still, 
and  said:  "Call  him,"  and  they  told  the  blind  man  that 
Jesus  wished  to  speak  to  him.  The  poor  man  sprang  up 
hastily,  and  threw  off  his  long  outer  cloak  that  he  might 
move  the  faster,  and  hurried  to  the  Lord,  helped  by  some 
friendly  hand.  Then  Jesus  asked  him:  "  What  wilt  thou 
that  I  should  do  unto  thee  ?"  And  the  blind  man  answered, 
"Master,  that  I  may  see."  Then  Jesus  said:  "Go  thy 
way,  thy  faith  hath  made  thee  whole,"  and  immediately 
he  saw,  and  followed  Jesus  in  the  way. 

Let  the  class  find  and  read  St.  Matt.  vii.  7,  and  then 
ask  why  these  people  had  their  prayers  answered.  Ask 
if  they  think  that  people  ever  ask  for  things  which  God 
will  not  grant.     Say  that  the  next  story  will  show. 

14 


210  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

4.  Christ  and  the  Covetous  Man.— When  a  Jewish  father 
made  a  will  he  always  left  his  money  to  his  sons  in  a  certain 
way,  for  there  was  a  law  about  it.  The  eldest  son  had 
twice  as  much  as  the  others — e.g.,  supposing  that  the 
father  had  three  sons  and  £8,000  to  leave  them,  the  eldest 
would  have  £4,000  and  the  others  £2,000  each.  (Let 
elder  children  work  it  out.)  One  day  a  man  came  to  the 
Lord  Jesus  and  said  to  Him :  "  Master,  speak  to  my  brother 
and  make  him  divide  the  money  our  father  left  him  with 
me."  But  the  Lord  told  him  sternly  that  He  had  not 
come  to  settle  such  matters  as  money  disputes  among 
selfish  people,  and  He  sent  him  off.  Then  He  turned  to 
His  disciples  and  said:  "  Be  careful  not  to  grow  covetous 
and  selfish,  trying  to  get  the  best  for  yourself ;  for  happiness 
does  not  come  from  having  a  great  many  things." 

Association. — Let  the  class  recapitulate  these  petitions; 
lead  them  to  see  that  God  answers  all  right  prayers  but 
not  selfish  ones.  Work  up  to  a  generalisation  and  write 
it  on  the  board — e.g., 

"  God  gives  us  all  that  is  necessary  for  soul  and  body." 

Application. — Ask  what  part  of  prayer  we  have  here 
learnt;  lead  the  class  to  resolve  to  petition  God  for  their 
needs. 

Memory  Work. — The  Gloria  in  excelsis  from  "  Thou  who 
sittest  at  the  right  of  the  Father  "  to  the  end. 

Expression  Work. — Write  or  draw  one  of  the  stories. 

Write — ^What  sort  of  petitions  does  God  grant  ? 

Print  St.  Matt.  vii.  7. 

67. — Lesson  Subject :  (B)  Intercession— 
St.  Peter's  Imprisonment. 

Reference. — Actsxii.  1-19. 

Aim. — To  show  the  necessity  and  power  of  intercessory 
prayer. 

Introduction. — One  or  two  questions  on  the  persecution 
of  St.  Stephen. 


THE  THREE  EMINENT  GOOD  WORKS       211 

Presentation  :  1.  St.  Peter's  Imprisonment. — Some  years 
after  the  death  of  St.  Stephen  the  Christians  at  Jerusalem 
were  in  danger  again;  this  time  it  was  King  Herod  who 
led  the  persecution.  He  was  a  grandson  of  Herod  the 
Great,  who  had  tried  to  kill  our  Lord  when  He  was  a  baby 
and  this  Herod,  like  his  grandfather,  was  enraged  at 
hearing  our  Lord  spoken  of  as  King,  he  feared  and  hated 
the  Christians  because  they  preached  about  the  kingdom 
of  Christ.  Herod  meant  to  stop  them,  so  he  seized  one 
of  their  leaders,  the  Apostle  St.  James,  tried  him,  and 
had  him  beheaded.  The  Jews  were  dehghted,  and  as 
Herod  wished  to  please  them  in  order  that  they  might 
help  him  to  remain  their  King  (he  was  always  afraid  of 
losing  his  throne),  he  seized  St.  Peter  also,  just  at  Passover 
time,  and  put  him  in  prison  till  the  feast  should  be  over, 
when  he  meant  to  try  him  and  kill  him  also.  But  Herod 
knew  that  St.  Peter  had  been  imprisoned  once  before  and 
had  escaped  (Acts  v.  18,  19),  so  he  took  especial  care  of 
him  this  time.  He  was  in  a  Uttle  cell  beyond  the  other 
ceUs;  four  soldiers  guarded  him;  two  of  them  were  chained 
to  him,  one  on  each  side,  and  one  guarded  the  door  of  his 
cell,  and  the  other  the  door  of  the  ceU  beyond ;  so  even  if 
St.  Peter  could  escape  from  the  men  who  were  chained  to 
him  he  would  have  to  pass  two  guarded  doors.  Besides 
this,  the  soldiers  were  changed  four  times  a  day,  lest  they 
should  grow  weary,  and  they  knew  also  that  if  their  prisoner 
escaped  they  themselves  would  be  executed.  So  there 
were  the  Christians,  poor  and  helpless,  and  there  was  St. 
Peter,  chained  and  guarded;  what  could  they  do  ?  Read 
Acts  xii.  5  and  see. 

2.  St.  Peter's  Deliverance. — It  was  night.  St.  Peter 
was  to  be  brought  up  for  trial  next  day,  but  he  lay  sleeping 
peacefully  between  the  soldiers.  His  sandals  and  cloak 
were  laid  aside  and  the  girdle  round  his  waist  loosed;  they 
were  the  only  preparations  which  he  could  make  for  the 
night.  Suddenly  he  was  awakened  by  a  blow  on  the  side. 
There  stood  the  angel  of  the  Lord,  and  the  cell  was  all 


212  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

bright  with  his  glory.  "  Rise  up  quickly,"  said  the  angel, 
and  as  he  did  so  the  chains  fell  from  his  hands.  "  Put 
on  your  sandals  and  fasten  your  girdle."  St.  Peter  obeyed. 
"  Now  wrap  your  cloak  around  you  and  foUow  me."  St. 
Peter  followed  hke  one  in  a  dream.  They  passed  the 
soldier  at  the  first  door  and  then  the  one  at  the  second, 
and  then  they  came  to  the  great  iron  gate  leading  into  the 
street,  and  behold  !  the  gate  opened  to  them  of  its  own 
accord  and  they  passed  out,  and  down  the  seven  steps  into 
the  street.  The  angel  led  St.  Peter  down  one  street  and 
then  vanished  as  suddenly  as  he  had  come. 

It  took  St.  Peter  a  few  minutes  to  recover  from  his 
astonishment  and  reaUse  that  it  was  all  true;  but  he  had 
to  decide  quickly  as  to  what  he  should  do  next,  for  a 
search  would  soon  be  made  for  him.  So  he  went  straight 
to  the  house  where  he  knew  that  his  friends  would  be;  it 
was  a  large  house  belonging  to  a  rich  lady,  where  the 
Christians  met  for  worship.  (Let  the  class  recall  other 
instances  of  similar  meeting-places.) 

On  this  night  the  Christians  were  all  together,  praying 
for  St.  Peter;  they  probably  knew  that  he  was  to  be  tried 
in  the  morning.  Suddenly  a  knock  sounded  on  the  door; 
a  maidservant  ran  to  open  it,  but  when  she  heard  St. 
Peter's  voice  she  was  so  excited  that  she  ran  back  to  tell 
the  others  before  she  opened  the  door.  "  You  must  be 
mad,"  they  said,  for  they  could  not  beUeve  her.  "  No, 
it  really  is  Peter,"  she  kept  on  repeating.  "  It  can't  be, 
it  must  be  his  ghost,"  they  answered.  And  poor  St.  Peter 
stood  outside  knocking  all  the  while  !  At  last  they  came 
and  let  him  in  and  saw  that  it  was  really  he,  and  exclaimed 
aloud  in  their  joy;  but  St.  Peter  waved  his  hand  to  bid 
them  be  quiet,  for  he  knew  that  a  noise  might  attract 
soldiers  to  the  house;  and  then  he  told  them  how  the 
Lord  had  sent  His  angel  and  delivered  him  from  prison 
and  from  death.  Then  he  left  the  city,  and  went  away 
to  a  distant  place  where  Herod  could  not  find  him,  probably 
to  Rome. 


THE  THREE  EMINENT  GOOD  WORKS      213 

In  the  morning  a  great  search  was  made  for  St.  Peter, 
but  he  could  not  be  found,  so  the  soldiers  were  executed 
for  letting  him  escape. 

Association.— Let  the  class  discuss  which  was  the  more 
powerful,  Herod  with  his  prison  and  his  soldiers,  or  the 
Church.     Ask  by  what  weapon  the  Christians  prevailed. 
Explain  that  we  call  praying  for  others  intercession ;  it 
a  kind  of  petition. 

Generalisation. — Review  the  section  and  sum  up  on 
B.B.  in  some  such  words  as  these:  "We  aihre  God  for 
Himself,  we  praise  God  for  His  glory,  we  thank  God  for 
His  goodness,  we  confess  our  sins  to  Him,  we  petition  Him 
for  our  needs,  and  intercede  with  Him  for  the  needs  of 
others." 

Or  the  following : 

We  praise  Thee  and  adore  Thee, 

O  King  of  heaven  above, 
We  bow  ourselves  before  Thee 

And  thank  Thee  for  Thy  love; 
Then,  all  our  sins  confessing, 

We  ask  for  what  we  need, 
And  pray  Thee  for  Thy  blessing 

On  friends  for  whom  we  plead. 

Application. — Lead  the  class  to  resolve  to  ask  the  prayers 
of  the  saints  and  angels  for  themselves,  and  on  their  own 
account  to  intercede  regularly  for  some  given  object. 

Memory  Work.— Cat.  141,  142,  158. 

Expression  Work. — Write  the  story  or  print  the  verse. 

2.  FASTING. 

Teacher's  Thought.—"  I  chastise  my  body,  and  bring  it 
into  subjection"  (1  Cor.  ix.  27). 

68.— Lesson  Subject :  God's  Athletes. 
References. — Judges  xiii.-xvi. ;  Heb.  xii.  1,  2. 
Apparatus. — Pictures  of  Samson,  of  a  boat-race. 
Aim. — To   teach   the  virtue   of   temperance   and   self- 
control,  by  showing  that  we  abstain  in  order  to  obtain. 


214  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

Introduction. — A  few  questions  on  school  sports,  etc. 

Introductory  Presentation.— Describe  any  contest  with 
which  the  class  is  somewhat  famihar,  showing  pictures — 
e.g.,  a  boat-race,  a  horse-race,  a  flat-race,  wresthng,  etc. 
Explain  the  need  for  careful  training  on  the  part  of  the 
combatants — e.g.,  restricted  diet,  exercise,  etc.;  bring  out 
that  a  man,  for  instance,  who  is  rowing  in  his  college  boat, 
willingly  keeps  hard  rules  and  goes  without  many  in- 
dulgences because  he  wishes  to  be  of  use  to  his  side. 

1.  God's  Athlete,  Samson. — Long  ago  there  lived  a  man 
called  Samson;  God  had  a  great  work  for  him  to  do,  and 
therefore  he  had  to  be  trained  for  it  as  men  train  nowadays 
to  row  in  a  boat-race.  He  was  to  be  a  special  servant  of 
God  and  do  a  special  work:  he  was  to  be  a  Nazarite  and 
keep  certain  rules:  his  hair  must  never  be  cut,  he  must 
not  eat  certain  kinds  of  meat,  he  must  never  drink  wine 
nor  even  eat  grapes;  and  this  last  rule  must  have  been 
hard  to  keep,  for  grapes  grew  wild  all  over  Palestine,  and 
were  very  large  and  sweet.  But  Samson  knew  that  one 
gains  by  giving  up;  because  he  kept  God's  rules  God  gave 
him  very  great  strength,  and  he  used  this  strength  to 
fight  against  and  drive  away  his  country's  foes,  the 
Philistines. 

One  day  Samson  was  walking  through  a  vineyard;  he 
had  come  a  long  way  and  must  have  longed  to  eat  some 
of  the  beautiful  grapes,  but  he  remembered  his  rule  and 
did  not  touch  them.  Immediately  afterwards  he  had 
reason  to  be  glad  that  he  had  obeyed.  With  a  great  roar 
a  young  lion  suddenly  sprang  upon  him.  Then  the  strength 
of  the  Lord  came  upon  Samson,  and  he  seized  hold  of  the 
lion  and  killed  him  with  just  his  bare  hands. 

Another  day  he  was  resting  in  a  corner  of  the  rocks 
when  he  saw  an  army  of  his  own  people,  the  IsraeUtes, 
coming  towards  him.  "  What  do  you  want  ?"  he  asked. 
"  We  want  to  take  you  as  a  prisoner  to  the  Philistines," 
they  said;  "  we  are  terrified,  for  the  Philistines  are  so 
angry  with  you  because  you  have  killed  so  many  of  them, 


THE  THREE  EMINENT  GOOD  WORKS      215 

that  they  have  brought  an  army  against  us,  and  they  will 
not  go  away  unless  we  give  you  up  to  them."  "  Very 
well,"  said  Samson,  "  I'll  come  with  you  if  you  promise 
not  to  kill  me  yourselves."  "  All  right,"  they  answered, 
"  we  will  not  kill  you,  but  we  will  tie  your  arms  with  new 
strong  ropes  so  that  you  may  not  get  away."  So  they 
bound  him  with  two  new  ropes,  and  led  him  down  from 
the  rocks  to  the  Phihstine  army.  "  Hurrah  !"  shouted 
the  Philistines  when  they  saw  him  coming.  And  then 
the  glorious  strength  of  the  Lord  came  upon  Samson,  and 
he  burst  those  strong  ropes  as  if  they  had  been  rotten 
thread,  and  he  seized  the  jawbone  of  an  ass  which  was 
lying  on  the  ground,  rushed  at  the  Phihstine  army,  and 
slew  a  thousand  men. 

For  many  years  Samson  lived  a  happy  life,  serving 
God,  keeping  His  rules,  and  conquering  His  enemies. 
Then  a  sad  thing  happened.  Samson  made  friends  with 
a  wicked  woman,  and  she  tried  to  make  him  break 
God's  rules.  She  was  a  friend  of  the  Philistines,  and 
she  wanted  Samson  to  disobey  God  so  that  he  might 
become  weak,  and  then  the  Phihstines  could  kill  him. 
She  begged  him  to  tell  her  what  made  him  so  strong,  but 
he  would  not  for  some  time;  at  last  he  gave  in,  though  he 
knew  that  she  was  not  to  be  trusted.  "  If  my  hau-  were 
cut  off,"  he  said,  "I  should  be  just  Uke  other  men." 
Then,  while  he  slept,  that  wicked  woman  had  his  long  hair 
all  cut  off;  and  she  sent  word  to  the  Philistines,  and  they 
came  and  took  him  and  made  him  then*  slave  and  put  out 
his  eyes,  for  he  had  broken  God's  rules,  and  no  longer  had 
his  God-given  strength. 

2.  God's  Athlete,  the  Christian.— God  still  has  His  Sam- 
sons, His  athletes,  whom  He  expects  to  slay  hons  and 
conquer  Phihstines,  whom  He  expects  to  be  victors  in 
the  race  He  has  told  them  to  run,  a  race  in  which  every- 
one who  runs  well  will  receive  the  prize.  Who  are  God's 
athletes  nowadays  ?  St.  Paul  explained  that  our  Chris- 
tian Uf e  in  the  world  is  like  a  race  (he  had  often  watched 


216  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

the  splendid  games  of  the  Greeks  and  Romans),  and 
God's  gift  of  eternal  life  is  our  splendid  prize,  but  in 
order  to  run  well  we  must  keep  in  training.  Temper- 
ance— that  is,  self-control — is  our  great  means  of  keep- 
ing fit,  and  just  as  Samson  had  certain  definite  rules 
to  help  him,  so  have  we:  the  Church  gives  us  rules  for 
fasting  and  abstinence;  we  are  told  to  go  without  certain 
things  on  certain  days,  just  as  Samson  might  not  touch 
the  grapes  even  though  he  might  be  thirsty,  and  that 
obedience  and  self-control  gains  for  us  great  strength; 
we  shall  be  able  to  refuse  to  do  what  is  wrong,  we  can  over- 
come the  hons  and  Philistines  of  temptation,  we  can  fight 
God's  battles,  we  shall  be  able  to  say  "  no  "  and  mean  it, 
and  that  is  a  very  great  thing.  And  it  is  not  as  if  we 
were  fighting  all  alone  with  no  one  to  cheer  us  on.  St. 
Paul  pictures  a  great  arena,  with  the  men  stripped  for 
running;  each  has  thrown  aside  his  loose  upper  garments 
which  would  hinder  him,  each  has  his  eyes  fixed  on  his 
goal — the  throne  where  our  Lord  waits  to  welcome  him — 
and  all  around  the  arena  are  the  victorious  ones,  the  angels 
and  saints,  cheering  them  on. 

Association. — Let  the  class  think  out,  and  summarise 
on  B.B.,  the  similarities  between  Samson,  the  athlete,  and 
the  Christian. 

Application. — Help  the  children  to  form  some  definite 
resolve  against  self-indulgence,  laziness  or  greediness,  etc. 

Memory  Work, — Cat.  159:  "And  we  should  frequently 
say  the  Hail,  Mary — to  ask  our  Blessed  Lady  to  pray  for 
us  .  .  .  etc."     Cat.  165. 

Expression  Work. — Write  the  story  of  Samson. 

Make  a  list  of  our  lions  and  Phihstines. 

Make  a  list  of  some  ways  in  which  we  can  be  temperate — 
i.e.,  self-controUed. 


THE  THREE  EMINENT  GOOD  WORKS       217 

3.  ALMSDEEDS. 
Teacher's  Thought — "  As  long  as  you  did  it  to  one  of 
these  My  least  brethren,  you  did  it  to  Me"    (St.  Matt. 
XXV.  40). 

69.— Lesson  Subject :  Dorcas. 

References.— Acts  ix.  36-43 ;  St.  Matt.  x.  8. 

Apparatus. — A  picture  of  Dorcas  or  of  St.  Elizabeth  of 
Hungary. 

Aim. — To  show  the  beauty  as  well  as  the  duty  of  alms- 
giving, and  how  it  wins  the  love  of  God  and  man. 

Introduction. — Question  the  children  on  the  longest 
walk  which  they  ever  took,  were  they  tired  by  the  way, 
etc. 

Presentation :  1.  The  Benefactress  Dead.— Two  men 
were  hurrying  along  a  road;  they  had  a  long  way  to  go, 
much  farther  than  you  went  (on  such  and  such  a  day) — 

twelve  miles,   as  far   as  from  to  .     It  was  a 

beautiful  road  through  the  beautiful  country  of  Palestine. 
The  sea  lay  on  their  right,  and  lovely  flower-filled  meadows 
before  them,  but  these  two  men  had  no  thought  for  the 
scenery.  "  ShaU  we  find  him  ?"  "  ShaU  we  be  too  late  ?" 
they  asked  each  other  anxiousty.  "  We  have  heard  he 
is  at  Lydda:  what  if  he  has  left  ?"  So  they  hastened  on 
and  never  stopped  to  rest  till  they  reached  a  little  town 
at  the  foot  of  the  hills.  "  Where  is  Simon  Peter  lodging  ?" 
they  asked.  They  were  soon  shown  the  house,  for  Peter 
had  just  cured  a  man  who  had  been  ill  for  eight  years, 
and  so  everyone  was  very  interested  in  him  just  now. 
They  went  straight  to  St.  Peter.  "  Please  come  with  us 
at  once,"  they  begged,  "  you  are  badly  needed  at  Joppe, 
we  are  in  great  trouble  there."  St.  Peter  got  up  at  once 
and  started  on  his  twelve-mile  walk.  The  men  who  had 
come  to  fetch  him  must  have  been  tired,  but  they  were 
in  such  a  hurry  to  get  back  that  they  never  stopped  to 
rest.     Why  all  this  haste  ?     No  doubt  they  told  St.  Peter 


218  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

as  they  went  along.  There  lived  a  kind  lady  at  Joppe, 
named  Dorcas;  she  was  like  her  name,  sweet  and  gentle, 
for  Dorcas  means  "  gazelle,"  a  beautiful  soft-eyed  deer. 
This  lady  was  most  kind  to  all  who  were  poor  and  in  need. 
She  spent  her  Hfe  in  helping  other  people,  and  now  she 
was  dead.  She  had  just  died,  and  all  the  folk  whom  she 
had  helped  were  broken-hearted.  They  had  heard  that 
St.  Peter  was  near  by  at  Lydda,  and  so  they  had  sent  in 
haste  to  him;  if  he  could  do  anything  he  must  come  at 
once,  for  the  burial  could  not  be  long  delayed.  But  what 
a  mighty  work  they  expected  !  How  dare  St.  Peter  go  ? 
Turn  to  St.  Matt.  x.  8  and  see. 

2.  The  Benefactress  restored  to  Life. — They  drew  near 
to  Joppe,  a  lovely  seaside  town.  Sweet  scents  from  the 
orange  gardens  around  greeted  them;  but  orange  blossom 
which  reminds  us  of  weddings  reminded  them  that  day 
of  death.  They  hastened  to  Dorcas'  house,  and  took 
St.  Peter  up  to  the  room  where  she  lay.  The  place  was 
filled  with  poor  widows  weeping  for  their  lost  friend,  and 
holding  up  the  coats  and  garments  which  she  had  made 
for  them.  St.  Peter  very  gently  put  them  aU  out  of  the 
room.  It  was  his  Master's  power  which  he  was  about  to 
use,  not  his  own,  so  he  must  first  ask  for  that  power  to 
be  given  him.  He  knelt  down  and  prayed;  and  then 
standing  up  he  turned  to  the  silent  form  on  the  bed  and 
said,  "  Dorcas,  arise  !"  and  she  opened  her  eyes,  and  when 
she  saw  St.  Peter  she  sat  up.  Then  he  gave  her  his 
hand  and  helped  her  of?  the  bed,  and  called  the  poor 
widows  and  her  other  friends  and  presented  her  to  them, 
aUve. 

Ulustration. — Those  who  love  our  Lord  have  always 
followed  the  example  of  Dorcas,  because  they  remember 
that  Christ  said,  "  What  you  do  for  anyone  you  do  for 
Me."  About  seven  hundred  years  ago  there  lived  a  lovely 
Princess  named  Elizabeth.  She  was  engaged  to  be  married 
to  a  Prince,  but  she  loved  her  Heavenly  Bang  even  more 
than  her  earthly  Prince.     One  day  he  and  she  went  in 


THE  THREE  EMINENT  GOOD  WORKS      219 

state  to  church;  on  entering  she  took  off  her  coronet 
and  tlirew  herself  on  her  knees  before  a  large  crucifix. 
The  Prince  reproved  her,  but  she  answered,  "  I  pray 
thee  let  me  be,  there  stands  the  form  of  Christ,  and 
I  cannot  pass  it  with  a  coronet  of  gold  and  pearls  on  my 
head." 

After  she  was  married  she  spent  every  spare  minute  in 
nursing  the  sick  and  helping  the  poor.  Every  day  she 
said  many  prayers,  and  even  arose  in  the  night  to  say 
them  too.  She  used  to  find  little  crippled  children  and 
take  them  to  live  in  the  palace,  so  that  she  could  see  that 
they  were  well  cared  for.  She  even  nursed  people  afflicted 
with  leprosy,  that  dreadful  incurable  disease.  One  year 
there  came  a  great  famine  in  that  place,  and  many  poor 
people  would  have  died  of  hunger  had  it  not  been  for 
St.  Elizabeth.  One  day  she  was  coming  down  from  the 
castle  with  an  armful  of  loaves  under  her  cloak  when  she 
met  her  husband.  "  What  are  you  carrying  ?"  he  asked, 
and  lifted  up  her  cloak  to  see,  and  her  lap  was  full  of 
roses ! 

At  last  her  husband  died,  and  his  cruel  brother  took  the 
castle  and  turned  out  St.  Elizabeth;  but  she  never  com- 
plained of  his  cruelty.  She  went  to  live  in  a  town  where 
she  could  still  help  the  poor,  and  there  she  built  a  hospital 
with  what  money  she  had  left,  and  nursed  the  sick  people 
in  it.  She  sold  her  rich  clothes  and  jewels  to  buy  food 
and  medicine  for  them,  and  when  she  had  nothing  left 
she  earned  money  by  spinning  wool,  like  any  other  poor 
woman.  She  even  gave  her  own  bedclothes  to  cover  the 
sick  people.  At  last,  when  she  was  still  quite  young,  the 
Lord  Jesus  called  her  to  Paradise,  the  home  of  all  the 
saints,  and  the  only  place  where  she  would  rest  or  have 
any  comforts  for  herself. 

Association. — Let  the  class  recount  the  ways  in  which 
both  Dorcas  and  St.  Elizabeth  of  Hungary  showed  their 
love  for  our  Lord.  Tell  them  that  semng  parties  which 
meet  to  make  clothes  for  the  poor  are  often  called  "  Dorcas 


220  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

meetings,"  and  that  many  hospitals  which  nurse  the  sick 
and  poor  are  named  after  St.  Elizabeth. 

Application. — Help  the  children  to  resolve  to  perform 
some  almsdeed. 

Memory  Work.— St.  Matt.  x.  8. 

Expression  Work. — Write  or  draw  one  of  the  stories. 


COURSE  C. 

THE  TEN  COMMANDMENTS. 

Course  Aim. — To  help  the  children  to  understand  and 
love  God's  Commandments. 

FIRST  COMMANDMENT:   TO   OBEY   GOD  AND 
WORSHIP  HIM. 

Teacher's  Thought. — "  We  shall  know,  and  we  shall 
follow  on,  that  we  may  know  the  Lord  "  (Osee  vi.  3). 

70.— Lesson  Subject :  Noah. 

Reference. — Genesis  vi.-ix. 

Apparatus. — Pictures  of  Noah  and  the  Flood,  landscape 
showing  rainbow,  etc. 

Aim. — To  show  how  Noah  worshipped  God  by  hope. 

Introduction. — Discuss  with  the  children  how  they 
would  turn  out  a  drawer  or  bookshelf  or  toy-cupboard; 
let  them  tell  how  the  .dirty  and  useless  articles  must  be 
thrown  away,  the  cupboard  scrubbed,  and  the  useful 
articles  replaced. 

Presentation  :  1.  How  God  cleansed  the  World. — Ask  for 
a  description  of  the  world  when  God  had  made  it,  what 
was  most  precious  to  God  in  it,  and  how  Satan  spoilt  it. 

Though  Adam  and  Eve  were  sorry  for  their  sins,  yet 
their  children  sinned,  and  at  last  the  world  became  so 
wicked  that  God  was  obhged  to  clean  it  thoroughly  and 
give  it  a  new  start.  There  was  only  one  person,  and  his 
family,  in  the  whole  world  who  loved  God  and  obeyed 
Him  and  who  could  be  trusted.     (Let  the  class  give  his 

221 


222  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

name,  and  if  very  familiar  with  the  ensuing  story  let  them 
tell  it.) 

God  told  Noah  that  He  was  going  to  send  a  great  flood 
and  drown  the  world,  but  that  he  and  his  family  should 
be  saved.  He  was  to  build  a  great  boat  which  would 
hold  them  all,  and  two  of  every  kind  of  animal  and  bird 
thereabouts,  with  seven  each  of  the  more  useful  kinds. 
(Let  the  class  discuss  the  difficulties  in  Noah's  way,  the 
ridicule  he  would  meet,  and  the  faith  and  hope  and  obedi- 
ence he  must  possess  to  enable  him  to  fulfil  such  a  strange 
task.  There  had  never  been  a  flood:  it  was  difficult  to 
imagine  that  there  ever  would  be  one.  Let  the  children 
put  themselves  in  Noah's  place:  remind  them  of  Adam 
and  Eve,  who  did  not  believe  what  God  told  them,  and 
so  brought  sin  and  misery  into  the  world.  Let  them  think 
what  must  have  happened  if  Noah  had  not  beUeved.) 

But  Noah  trusted  God  and  hoped  in  Him,  and  so  he 
went  on  building  his  ark.  Then  he  put  in  plenty  of  food 
for  his  family  and  the  birds  and  beasts,  and  he  collected 
the  latter  and  put  them  in  the  pens  and  stalls  and  cages 
which  he  had  prepared.  (Enlarge  on  this  if  liked.)  Then, 
when  Noah  and  his  family  and  the  animals  were  all  safely 
in  the  ark,  the  Lord  Himself  shut  them  in,  and  it  began 
to  rain.  How  it  rained !  For  days  and  days  it  poured 
down,  and  the  rivers  began  to  rise,  and  then  they  over- 
flowed their  banks,  and  then  they  flooded  the  low  meadows, 
and  the  water  got  deeper  and  deeper  till  at  last  the  ark 
was  floating.  But  stiU  it  rained.  Torrents  fell  for  six 
weeks.  Soon  all  the  land  was  flooded,  the  waters  rising 
gradually  above  the  highest  hills,  till  at  length  there  was 
nothing  to  be  seen  but  water  aU  around. 

2.  How  Noah  hoped  in  God. — Noah  was  in  the  ark, 
tossing  on  that  great  shoreless  sea,  for  five  or  six  months. 
If  he  had  not  truly  loved  and  trusted  God  he  must  have 
despaired  of  ever  seeing  land  again.  It  looked  hopeless. 
All  the  people  whom  he  had  known  were  drowned;  we 
may  be  quite  sure  that  the  devil  tempted  him  to  think 


THE  TEN  COMMANDMENTS  223 

that  God  had  forsaken  him,  and  that  he  would  be  drowned 
too.  But  Noah  never  lost  hope,  and  at  last  his  hope 
proved  true,  for  the  waters  began  to  go  down.  Describe 
chapter  viii.,  verses  1-14. 

3.  How  God  rewarded  Noah's  Trust  in  Him. — Then  God 
told  Noah  that  he  might  come  out  of  the  ark,  he  and  his 
family  and  the  animals  with  them.  (Let  the  class  say 
what  he  would  do  first — i.e.,  thanli  God  for  his  preserva- 
tion.) So  he  offered  sacrifices  to  God,  and  thanked  Him 
in  the  best  way  that  he  could  find.  And  God  came  and 
talked  with  him  as  one  friend  speaks  with  another,  for 
He  knew  that  Noah  truly  loved  Him.  Then  God  blessed 
Noah  and  his  family,  and  promised  that  they  atid  their 
children  should  hve  happily  upon  the  earth,  and  always 
have  food  to  eat  and  clothes  to  wear,  and  that  never  again 
should  there  be  a  flood  to  drown  the  world.  Then  God 
showed  Noah  the  beautiful  rainbow,  shining  against  the 
clouds  of  the  departing  storm,  and  He  said  that  it  should 
be  a  sign  to  men  for  ever  that  God  would  never  drown 
the  world  again.  And  ever  since  the  rainbow  has  reminded 
us  of  God's  promise,  and  been  to  us  a  symbol  of  hope. 

Association. — Let  the  class  discuss  why  God  was  obUged 
to  drown  the  worM,  and  how  it  was  that  He  could  save 
Noah  and  not  the  other  folk;  let  them  tell  why  Noah  never 
lost  heart,  and  how  God  rewarded  his  hope. 

Application. — When  troubles  come  to  us  how  can  we 
imitate  Noah  ? 

Memory  Work.— Cat.  176,  179. 

Expression  Work. — Write  or  draw  the  story. 

Paint  a  rainbow  in  coloured  chalks  and  print  "  Hope  " 
beneath  it. 

71.— Lesson  Subject :  Abraham. 

References. — Gen.  xii.  1-9,  xvii.  1-8,  xviii.  1-15,  xxi.  1-7, 
xxu.  1-19. 

Apparatus. — A  picture  of  Abraham,  map  of  his  journeys, 
etc. 


224  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

Aim. — To  show  how  Abraham  worshipped  God  by  faith. 

Introduction. — Put  up  a  picture  of  Abraham  leaving 
home,  or  a  map  of  Chaldea,  etc.  Question  the  class  briefly 
on  what  they  know  of  Abraham. 

Presentation:  I.Abraham  leaves  Home.  —  Tell  how 
Abraham  heard  God's  command  to  leave  his  home  and 
go  out  into  a  country  unknown  to  him,  of  which  even  the 
name  was  not  told  him.  Picture  his  farewell  to  his  rela- 
tions and  friends,  and  his  journey  with  his  flocks  and  herds. 
Tell  how  at  last  they  came  to  the  land  of  Chanaan,  a  fail* 
and  beautiful  country,  but  a  strong  warhke  tribe  pos- 
sessed it.  Show  Sichem  on  map ;  describe  the  halt  there, 
and  how  the  Lord  came  to  Abraham  and  promised  to 
give  him  all  that  land.  Point  out  how  difficult  this  would 
be  to  believe  without  strong  faith  in  God;  it  looked  so 
impossible. 

2.  Abraham  believes  a  Hard  Thing. — Tell  how  Abraham 
journeyed  on  from  place  to  place,  from  time  to  time. 
Explain  that  he  was  a  farmer  and  herdsman,  and  that 
therefore  he  needed  continual  fresh  pasturage  for  his 
flocks.  Tell  how  God  blessed  him  and  his  flocks  increased, 
and  he  grew  richer  and  richer;  and  God  kept  repeating 
his  promise  that  He  would  give  all  that  land  to  him  and 
his  children,  and  yet  he  had  no  son.  Years  passed  and 
Abraham  and  Sara  grew  old,  yet  he  never  doubted  God's 
promise.  Describe  vividly  the  visit  of  the  angels  and 
the  promise  of  Isaac's  birth.  (If  well  known  let  the  class 
teU  it.)  Emphasise  the  difficulty  of  beUeving  the  good 
news.  TeU  briefly  how  in  due  course  Isaac  was  born, 
and  describe  the  rejoicings  at  his  birth. 

3.  Abraham  proves  his  Faith. — Let  the  children  tell  all 
that  his  son  would  mean  to  Abraham;  how  he  took  fresh 
interest  in  his  flocks  and  herds  because  they  would  belong 
to  Isaac  one  day;  how  he  loved  to  look  on  the  beautiful 
fields  and  hills  of  Chanaan  because  his  grandchildren 
would  play  there  in  the  future.  Best  of  all,  how  he  loved 
to  teach  Isaac  about  God  Who  had  been  so  good  to  him. 


THE  TEN  COMMANDMENTS  225 

Now  Abraham's  way  of  worshipping  God  was  to  offer 
as  a  sacrifice  all  the  best  cattle  and  sheep  that  he  had; 
by  this  means  he  gave  them  to  God  instead  of  keeping 
them  for  himself;  he  felt  that  he  must  give  God  something 
for  He  had  given  him  so  much.  One  day  God  told  him 
to  offer  his  son  Isaac  as  a  sacrifice  because  he  was  the 
best  thing  he  had.  It  was  very  dreadful  for  Abraham. 
He  loved  his  son  very  much,  but  he  loved  God  more,  so 
he  never  hesitated;  once  he  was  sure  that  this  was  God's 
will  he  made  his  preparations.  Then  he  started  off  early 
in  the  morning  with  Isaac  and  two  servants,  and  a  donkey 
to  carry  the  wood  and  their  provisions.  (Here  continue  in 
the  words  of  Gen.  xxii.  3-13.)  So  Abraham  learnt  that 
God  did  not  really  wish  him  to  kill  Isaac,  but  had  allowed 
him  to  think  so  in  order  to  prove  his  love  and  faith ;  and 
as  a  reward  the  Lord  told  him  that  he  and  Isaac  and  all 
Isaac's  children  should  receive  a  very  special  blessing,  and 
be  God's  own  people,  and  God  HimseK  would  always  be 
their  Friend.  And  so  Abraham,  who  had  proved  his  faith 
in  God,  became  the  father  of  the  Jewish  nation,  God's 
special  people,  who  prepared  the  way  for  the  Christian 
Church. 

Association. — Let  the  class  thinii  out  the  different  ways 
in  which  Abraham  showed  his  faith. 

Application. — -Ask  what  is  that  precious  gift  which 
Abraham  helped  to  Avin  for  us — the  CathoHc  Faith.  Explain 
that  having  been  given  the  gift  we  must  be  very  careful 
to  keep  it — i.e.,  we  must  have  nothing  to  do  with  false 
rehgions,  must  never  attend  non-Cathohc  schools  or 
services,  must  learn  all  we  can  about  our  Holy  Faith, 
and  perform  our  spiritual  duties  carefully. 

Memory  Work.— Cat.  177,  178. 

Expression  Work. — Write:  how  Abraham  became  the 
Father  of  the  Faithful. 

Draw  or  write  one  of  the  stories  in  the  lesson. 


15 


226  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

72. — Lesson  Subject :  Moses  and  the  Burning  Bush. 

References. — Exodus  iii.  and  iv. 

Apparatus. — A  picture  of  Moses  and  the  burning  bush. 

Aim.- — To  show  how  Moses  worshipped  God  by  charity. 

Introduction. — Put  up  the  following  picture  prepared 
beforehand,  or,  better  still,  draw  it  before  the  class:  divide 
the  board  in  two,  and  on  the  left  draw  an  Eastern  shepherd 
and  on  the  right  the  Israelites  making  bricks  under 
Pharaoh's  taskmasters.  (If  the  picture  is  unavailable, 
describe  in  words  and  show  map  of  the  Sinaitic  peninsula.) 

Presentation :  1.  Moses  in  the  Wilderness. — In  the 
wilderness,  all  alone,  stood  a  shepherd  keeping  his  sheep. 
(Point  either  to  picture  or  place  on  map.)  This  man  had 
not  always  been  a  shepherd,  he  had  been  a  soldier-prince 
in  the  greatest  court  of  that  time,  the  court  of  the  Pharaoh 
of  Egypt.  And  now,  while  he  kept  his  sheep  in  the  desert, 
he  often  thought  of  that  court,  and  also  of  something 
very  different  from  a  court — the  slaves  of  the  great 
Pharaoh,  making  bricks  to  build  his  palaces.  (Point  to 
picture.)  For  it  was  because  of  these  unhappy  slaves 
that  this  man  was  now  a  shepherd  in  the  wilderness  instead 
of  a  prince  in  the  court.  (Let  children  give  his  name  and 
say  how  he  came  to  be  there.  Describe  vividly  if  they 
do  not  know.)  So  that  is  why  we  have  Moses  on  this 
side  of  the  picture  and  the  Israehtes  on  the  other,  for  only 
half  of  Moses  was  here,  his  body ;  the  other  half  of  him, 
his  thoughts  and  his  love,  was  over  there  with  his  poor 
brothers  the  slaves. 

2.  Moses  and  the  Burning  Bush. — Slowly,  slowly,  Moses 
led  the  sheep,  nibbling  as  they  went,  towards  a  great 
mountain  which  reared  itself  in  front  of  him.  Probably 
he  was  thinking  even  then  of  the  Israehtes,  wdshing  that 
he  could  help  them,  wondering  when  God  would  save  them 
from  their  hardships.  Suddenly  he  looked  up  and  saw 
a  strange  sight — a  bush  all  aflame  and  yet  not  burnt. 
(Continue  in  words  of  Exod.  iii.  3-6.)     Then  Moses  covered 


THE  TEN  COMMANDMENTS  227 

his  face  and  worshipped,  filled  with  awe  and  fear,  for  he 
knew  that  he  stood  in  the  near  presence  of  God. 

3.  Moses  sent  forth  to  prove  his  Love. — God  had  come 
so  near  Moses  for  a  purpose.  He  had  work  for  him  to  do ; 
He  knew  that  Moses  was  His  true  servant,  and  that  his 
heart  was  filled  with  love  for  God  and  his  brothers,  there- 
fore God  was  going  to  put  his  love  to  the  test.  The  Lord 
said  to  him,  "  I  have  surely  seen  the  misery  of  My  people 
the  Israehtes  in  Egypt,  I  have  heard  their  cry  and  am 
come  down  to  deliver  them,  and  to  bring  them  up  out  of 
that  land  unto  a  land  flowing  with  milk  and  honey.  Come, 
I  will  send  thee  unto  Pharaoh  that  thou  mayst  bring  forth 
My  people  the  children  of  Israel  out  of  Egypt."  Then 
Moses  said,  "  Who  am  I  that  I  should  go  unto  the  great 
Pharaoh  and  take  away  his  slaves  from  him  ?"  But  God 
answered,  "  I  will  be  with  thee."  Then  Moses  asked, 
"  What  shall  I  teU  the  Israehtes  when  they  ask  who  sent 
me  ?"  And  God  said,  "  TeU  them  the  Lord,  the  God  of 
your  fathers,  the  God  of  Abraham,  the  God  of  Isaac,  and 
the  God  of  Jacob,  hath  sent  me  unto  you."  Then  Moses 
asked,  "  How  shall  I  prove  to  them  that  Thou  hast  sent 
me  ?"     (Use  words  of  Exod.  iv.  2-9). 

But  Moses  had  one  more  fear:  he  was  afraid  that  he 
could  not  speak  well  before  Pharaoh,  so  God  promised 
that  his  brother  Aaron  should  go  with  him  and  be  his 
spokesman.     (Enlarge  on  this  if  hked.; 

Let  the  class  now  discuss  the  situation — Moses  told  to 
return  to  Egypt,  from  which  he  had  fled  in  danger  of  death 
years  ago;  for  though  the  Pharaoh  of  that  time  was  dead, 
there  would  doubtless  be  an  official  record  of  Moses' 
slaying  of  the  Egyptian  taskmaster.  But,  even  apart  from 
this  danger,  consider  the  difficulties:  two  poor  men,  with- 
out support  or  wealth  or  power,  to  go  to  a  mighty  king 
and  demand  that  he  should  set  free  a  nation  of  slaves 
who  were  a  source  of  riches  to  him.  Ask  the  class  what 
Moses  would  do,  and  why.  Show  that  he  set  forth  upon 
his  task  because  of  his  obedience  to  God  and  his  love  for 


228  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

God  and  man.  Show  that  he  was  encouraged  by  God's 
promise  to  be  with  him;  ask  who  was  the  more  powerful, 
the  Pharaoh  of  Egypt  or  the  King  of  Heaven.  Bring  out 
by  questions  that  Moses  reaUsed  God's  power  and  nearness 
in  the  burning  bush,  and  proved  his  fitness  to  serve  by 
his  reverent  worship. 

Let  the  class  tell  briefly  the  success  of  Moses'  mission. 

Memory  Work.— Cat.  175. 

Expression  Work. — Write  or  draw  the  story. 

Copy  out  the  First  Commandment. 


73. — Lesson  Subject :  Balaam. 

References. — Num.  xxii.-xxiv. ;  2  Pet.  ii.  15. 

Apparatus. — Map  showing  Moab. 

Aim. — To  show  the  powerlessness  of  magic  and  the 
wickedness  of  simony. 

Introduction. — A  few  questions  on  the  last  lesson, 
bringing  out  how  Moses  brought  the  Israelites  out  of 
Egypt. 

Presentation :  1.  Balaam  asked  to  curse  the  Lord's 
People. — The  Israelites,  led  by  Moses,  marched  along 
towards  the  land  of  Chanaan  and  conquered  as  they  went. 
At  last  they  drew  near  to  the  land  of  Moab,  and  Balac, 
King  of  Moab,  was  very  much  frightened.  He  feared  to 
fight  against  them,  for  he  knew  that  God  must  be  helping 
them,  so  he  thought  of  a  plan  to  get  help  on  his  side.  He 
sent  messengers  to  the  famous  magician  Balaam,  saying: 
"  A  great  army  of  people  has  come  up  out  of  Egypt;  they 
are  very  strong  and  I  am  afraid  that  I  cannot  beat  them 
in  battle;  come  and  curse  them  for  me  so  that  evil  may 
befall  them,  and  I  will  give  you  rich  presents."  But 
though  Balaam  was  a  magician,  and  had  often  used  his 
magical  arts  successfully,  yet  he  knew  that  this  case  was 
different;  they  were  the  Lord's  people  whom  he  was  asked 
to  curse,  and  he  knew  the  Lord  God  of  Israel  and  dare 
not  directly  disobey  Him.     But  he  wanted  very  much  to 


THE  TEN  COMMANDMENTS  229 

go  with  the  princes  of  Moab:  he  simply  longed  for  that 
rich  present.  So  he  asked  them  to  spend  the  night  with 
him  whilst  he  prayed  to  be  told  God's  will ;  and  the  answer 
was,  "  No,  he  must  not  go."  So  the  princes  of  Moab 
went  back  to  Balac  the  King  and  said  sadly:  "Balaam 
refuses  to  come  with  us."  Then  the  king  sent  even  greater 
princes,  who  said  to  Balaam:  "  Thus  saith  Balac  the  King, 
'  Let  nothing,  I  pray  thee,  hinder  thee  from  coming  unto 
me,  for  I  will  promote  thee  unto  very  great  honour,  and 
whatsoever  thou  say  est  unto  me,  I  will  do.'  "  But  Balaam 
answered,  "  If  Balac  would  give  me  his  house  full  of  silver 
and  gold,  I  cannot  go  beyond  the  word  of  the  Lord  my 
God  to  do  less  or  more."  But  he  wanted  to  go  very 
badly,  all  the  same,  so  he  asked  these  princes  also  to  stay 
the  night,  while  he  asked  God  once  more.  And  this  time 
God  allowed  him  to  go  on  the  condition  that  he  said  only 
what  God  told  him  to  say. 

2.  Balaam  meets  the  Angel  of  the  Lord. — So  Balaam 
rose  up  next  morning  and  saddled  his  ass  and  rode  off  with 
the  princes  of  Moab,  his  mind  full  of  the  handsome  presents 
Balac  had  promised,  and  determined  to  win  them  some- 
how or  other.  But  God  knew  what  Balaam  was  thinking 
of;  He  knew  that  he  meant  to  please  Balac  and  win  his 
reward  even  at  the  risk  of  disobeying  God,  but  he  should 
not  do  so  without  warning. 

Balaam  rode  along,  followed  by  two  of  his  servants. 
His  mind  was  filled  by  the  thought  of  the  presents  promised 
by  Balac;  he  was  busily  wondering  how  he  could  please 
the  king  and  yet  not  offend  God;  in  fact,  how  he  could 
serve  God  and  get  paid  for  it  by  the  king.  He  was  not 
in  the  mood  to  notice  signs  of  God's  presence,  he  was  too 
full  of  his  own  affairs.  Suddenly  his  ass  plunged  violently 
and  swerved  aside  from  the  road  into  a  field;  Balaam 
whipped  her  sharply  and  brought  her  back  into  the  road. 
He  was  very  angry,  it  had  disturbed  his  meditations. 
Then  the  way  narrowed  and  ran  along  through  vineyards^ 
with  a  wall  on  either  side,  and  here  again  the  ass  shied 


230  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

suddenly,  crushing  Balaam's  foot  against  the  wall.  He 
beat  her  again.  "  Whatever  has  come  over  the  beast  ?" 
he  thought;  "she  always  used  to  be  so  steady."  The 
path  grew  narrower  still,  and  became  just  a  bridle  track 
where  there  was  no  room  to  turn,  and  here,  quite  suddenly, 
the  ass  lay  down.  Then  Balaam  lost  his  temper  com- 
pletely and  beat  her  violently.  (Continue  in  the  words  of 
Num.  xxii.  28-35). 

3.  Balaam  Powerless  against  the  People  of  the  Lord. — 
Now  when  Balac  the  king  heard  that  Balaam  was  coming 
he  went  out  to  meet  him,  saying,  "  Why  did  you  not  come 
before  ?  Am  I  not  able  to  give  you  great  honour  and 
rich  presents  ?"  "  Now  I  am  come,"  Balaam  answered, 
"  I  can  only  speak  what  God  allows  me  to  say."  Perhaps 
he  wished  to  safeguard  himself  against  Balac's  anger  if 
he  was  not  permitted  to  curse  the  IsraeUtes. 

In  the  morning  Balac  took  Balaam  up  into  the  moun- 
tains whence  he  could  see  the  camp  of  Israel,  and  he  hoped 
that  he  would  bring  evil  enchantments  upon  them;  but 
Balaam's  magic  was  powerless  here.  "  How  shall  I  curse 
him  whom  God  hath  not  cursed  ?"  he  cried,  and  his 
would-be  curses  became  a  prophecy  of  blessings.  Then 
Balac  in  distress  brought  him  to  another  place,  urging 
him  to  curse  if  it  were  but  a  part  of  Israel.  But  Balaam, 
inspired  against  his  will,  could  only  speak  the  words  which 
God  gave  him.  "  I  was  brought  to  bless,  the  blessing  I 
am  not  able  to  hinder,"  he  said.  "  There  is  no  idol  in 
Jacob  .  .  .  the  Lord  his  God  is  with  him  .  .  .  there  is 
no  soothsaying  in  Jacob,  nor  divination  in  Israel.  .  .  . 
Behold  the  people  shall  rise  up  as  a  Honess  ...  it  shall 
not  lie  down  till  it  devour  the  prey."  But  that  was  more 
than  Balac  could  stand,  he  knew  that  his  armies  were  the 
prey !  "  Neither  curse  nor  bless  them,"  he  cried  in 
desperation.  But  Balaam  could  not  help  himself  now: 
unwilling  though  he  was,  he  was  obliged  to  speak  whether 
he  would  or  no,  and  he  once  again  blessed  Israel,  till  Balac 
cried  in  anger:  "  Return  to  thine  own  place.  ...     I  had 


THE  TEN  COMMANDMENTS  231 

determined  indeed  greatly  to  honour  thee,  but  the  Lord 
hath  deprived  thee  of  the  honour  designed  for  thee." 

So  Balaam  returned  home  without  the  gifts  for  which 
he  was  willing  to  disobey  God. 

Association.  —  Help  the  class  to  see  that  Balaam's 
wdckedness  consisted  in  his  eagerness  to  gain  riches  some- 
how or  other:  he  was  willing  to  use  enchantments  by  the 
aid  of  devils,  as  seems  to  have  been  his  custom,  for  he 
was  evidently  quite  famous;  or  he  was  equally  willing  to 
sell  the  prophetic  inspiration  with  which  God  favoured 
him  at  times — i.e.,  simony. 

Memory  Work.— Cat.  182,  183. 

Expression  Work. — Write  or  draw  the  story. 

74. — Lesson  Subject :  Gedeon. 

References. — Judges  vi.  11-32,  vii.  9-22. 

Apparatus. — Rough  B.B.  sketches  of  the  battle  plan, 
sketch  of  the  wine-press. 

Aim. — To  show  how  Gedeon  worshipped  the  Lord  by 
true  religion. 

Note  to  the  Teacher. — Certain  of  Gedeon's  less  important 
adventures  are  omitted,  that  the  lesson  may  not  be  too 
long.  Note  that  in  these  Old  Testament  epiphanies  "  the 
Angel  of  the  Lord "  and  "  the  Lord "  are  used  inter- 
changeably. The  "  grove "  was  the  Asherah  or  sacred 
pole  which  represented  Baal  to  his  worshippers. 

Introduction. — A  few  questions  on  the  Israelites'  journey 
to  Chanaan,  and  the  enemies  they  were  forced  to  fight  by 
the  way.  Explain  that  after  they  had  actually  settled  in 
the  land  the  surrounding  tribes  still  harried  them.  Refer 
the  class  to  Samson  and  the  Philistines. 

Presentation  :  1.  Gedeon  meets  the  Lord. — Show  picture 
of  wine-press;  explain  it  (two  vats  dug  in  the  ground,  one 
at  a  lower  level  than  the  other,  the  grapes  were  trodden  out 
in  the  upper  vat  and  the  expressed  juice  flowed  through 
to  the  lower  one). 


232  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

One  day  a  man  might  have  been  seen  threshing  his 
wheat  in  his  wine-press.  It  was  very  awkward.  There 
was  so  little  room  to  swing  the  flail  (explain),  and  as  the 
wine-press  was  a  pit  in  the  ground  the  wind  could  not 
carry  the  chaff  away.  The  proper  threshing-floor  was  a 
ledge  of  rock  up  on  the  hillside;  there  you  had  plenty  of 
room,  and  as  you  beat  the  grains  out  with  your  flat  flail 
the  breeze  carried  the  chaff  away.  But  this  man,  Gedeon, 
had  a  good  reason  for  not  going  up  to  the  threshing-floor 
with  his  wheat,  for  there  in  the  vaUey  below  lay  a  camp 
full  of  armed  robbers,  thousands  of  them;  and  they  had 
come  up  from  their  desert  homes  to  rob  the  Israelites  of 
everything  they  could  lay  hands  on,  cattle  and  sheep  and 
corn  and  wine,  till  the  IsraeHtes  were  almost  starving,  and 
were  unable  to  enjoy  the  fruits  of  the  beautiful  land  which 
God  had  given  them.  You  will  wonder  why  God  allowed 
these  robbers  to  come  up  against  the  Israelites,  but  if  you 
had  walked  through  Gedeon's  village  you  would  have 
understood.  There,  in  the  place  where  an  altar  to  the 
Lord  should  be,  stood  an  altar  to  the  heathen  god  Baah 
with  a  wooden  idol  beside  it,  and  Gedeon's  own  father 
worshipped  Baal,  as  did  most  of  the  Israelites.  No  wonder 
that  robbers  were  allowed  to  overrun  their  land  ! 

As  Gedeon  threshed  his  wheat  and  thought  of  all  these 
things,  he  suddenly  saw  the  Lord  standing  before  him, 
and  heard  Him  say  unto  him:  "The  Lord  is  with  thee, 
thou  mighty  man  of  valour  !"  But  Gedeon  knew  not 
Who  it  was,  and  he  answered,  "  0  Sir,  if  the  Lord  be  with 
us,  why  then  is  all  this  befallen  us  ?  and  where  be  all  the 
wondrous  works  which  our  fathers  told  us  of,  saying, 
'  Did  not  the  Lord  bring  us  up  from  Egypt  V  But  now 
hath  the  Lord  cast  us  off  and  deUvered  us  into  the  hand 
of  the  robber  Madianites."  And  the  Lord  looked  upon 
him  and  said:  "  Go  in  this  thy  might  and  save  Israel  from 
the  hand  of  Madian:  have  not  I  sent  thee  ?"  But  Gedeon 
answered,  "  How  can  one  as  poor  and  ignorant  as  I  save 
Israel?"     The  Lord  said  unto   him,    "Surely  I   wiU   be 


THE  TEN  COMMANDMENTS  233 

with  thee,  and  thou  shalt  conquer  the  Madianites."  Then 
Gedeon  said,  "  If  1  have  found  grace  in  Thy  sight,  depart 
not  hence,  I  pray  Thee,  until  I  bring  forth  a  present  and 
lay  it  before  Thee."  And  the  Lord  answered,  "  I  will 
wait  until  thou  come  again."  So  Gedeon  hastened  away 
and  made  ready  a  kid  and  some  cakes  of  bread;  then  he 
put  the  meat  in  a  basket  and  the  broth  in  a  pot  and  carried 
it  out  to  the  Angel  of  the  Lord  beneath  the  oak,  and  there 
presented  it.  And  the  Angel  of  the  Lord  said,  "  Take  the 
meat  and  the  bread  and  lay  them  on  this  rock,  and  pour 
out  the  broth,"  and  Gedeon  did  so.  Then  the  Lord  put 
forth  the  staff  that  was  in  His  hand  and  touched  the  meat 
and  the  bread  and  there  arose  a  fire  from  the  rock  and 
consumed  it;  and  the  Lord  departed  out  of  his  sight. 
Then  Gedeon  knew  Who  it  was.  He  had  seen  his  offering 
turned  into  a  sacrifice  and  accepted  by  God,  and  he  said, 
"Alas,  0  Lord  God,  for  I  have  seen  the  Lord  face  to  face." 
But  he  heard  the  Lord  saying  unto  him,  "  Peace  be  unto 
thee,  fear  not,  thou  shalt  not  die."  Then  Gedeon  built  an 
altar  there  unto  the  Lord,  and  worshipped  Him. 

2.  Gedeon  overthrows  the  Idol  Altar. — That  night  the 
Lord  gave  Gedeon  some  work  to  do  for  him,  which  would 
prove  his  love  and  loyalty.  The  Lord  said  to  him:  "  Go 
and  pull  down  the  altar  of  Baal  where  thy  father  worships, 
and  cut  down  the  wooden  idol  beside  it.  Then  build  an 
altar  to  Me,  and  offer  upon  it  one  of  thy  father's  bullocks." 
So  Gedeon  did  as  the  Lord  commanded,  though  he  knew 
what  the  consequences  would  be.  Next  morning  the  men 
of  the  village  were  astonished  and  very  angry  to  find  the 
altar  of  Baal  thrown  down  and  one  to  the  Lord  built,  and 
when  they  found  out  that  Gedeon  had  done  it  they  wanted 
to  kill  him;  but  Joas,  Gedeon's  father,  said  that  it  was 
Baal's  affair,  if  he  really  were  a  god  he  should  be  capable 
of  revenging  himself  upon  Gedeon,  and  they  had  better 
leave  it  to  him. 

3.  Gedeon  conquers  the  Lord's  Enemies.— Now  that  the 
idol  altar  was  overthrown  the  Lord  could  save  His  people 


234  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

from  the  Madianites.  (Let  the  class  discuss  how  Gedeon 
had  proved  himself  worthy  to  act  as  deliverer  and  yet 
how  difficult  the  task  must  seem  to  him.)  The  Lord  told 
Gedeon  to  select  an  army  of  three  hundred  men,  no  more, 
just  a  small  army  of  trustworthy  soldiers;  and  because  He 
knew  that  Gedeon  felt  anxious  about  the  battle — for  it 
seemed  impossible  to  attack  thousands  with  three  hundred 
— the  Lord  said  to  him :  "  Go  down  to-night  to  the  Madianite 
camp,  taking  only  your  servant  with  you,  and  hear  what 
they  say;  you  will  see  then  that  victory  will  be  easy.'' 
So  Gedeon  and  his  trusty  seivant  crept  down  to  the  enemy 
camp  in  the  darkness.  The  Madianites  lay  along  the 
valley  hke  a  swarm  of  locusts,  and  their  camels  were 
without  number,  like  the  sand  which  is  upon  the  seashore. 
There  on  the  outskirts  of  the  camp  Gedeon  heard  two 
men  talking.  He  listened.  "  I  have  dreamt  such  a 
strange  dream,"  said  one;  "  I  dreamt  that  a  little  loaf 
of  barley  bread  fell  into  the  camp  and  knocked  over  a 
tent  !"  "I  am  sure  that  means  iU-fortune  for  us,"  said 
the  other  man  nervously,  "  it  must  mean  that  the  sword 
of  Gedeon  will  conquer  us;  God  hath  delivered  us  into 
his  hand." 

Then  Gedeon  saw  what  to  do,  the  foe  was  all  ready  to 
take  fright;  and  he  feU  on  his  face  and  worshipped  the 
Lord  Who  had  told  him  what  to  do  and  shown  him  how 
to  do  it.  Then  he  hastened  back  to  his  men  and  said  to 
them:  "Arise,  for  the  Lord  hath  delivered  the  host  of 
Madian  into  your  hand  !"  Then  he  divided  them  into 
three  companies,  and  gave  to  each  man  a  trumpet,  a 
torch,  and  an  empty  earthen  pitcher  in  which  to  carry 
the  torch  so  that  the  light  would  not  show.  He  next 
ordered  the  three  companies  to  spread  themselves  out 
around  the  camp  (make  a  rough  sketch  on  B.B.),  and 
every  soldier  was  to  do  exactly  as  Gedeon  did.  Then 
Gedeon  and  one  hundred  men  crept  up  to  the  camp,  and 
the  other  two  hundred  crept  round  the  camp  on  either 
side,  so  that  it  was  surrounded  on  three  sides,  leaving  the 


THE  TEN  COMMANDMENTS  235 

side  towards  the  desert  open.  Suddenly,  Gedeon  blew  his 
trumpet  and  shouted,  "  The  sword  of  the  Lord  and  of 
Gedeon  !"  and  he  smashed  his  brittle  earthen  pitcher  and 
waved  his  torch  in  the  air.  Instantly  all  his  men  did  the 
same,  and  those  in  the  other  companies  heard  the  signal 
and  followed  suit.  And  when  the  Madianites  heard  shouts 
on  every  side,  and  trumpets  blowing  and  torches  waving 
aU  around  them,  they  were  terrified  and  began  to  run; 
and  in  the  darkness  and  confusion  they  thought  that  their 
friends  were  their  enemies,  and  they  killed  each  other. 
Then  Gedeon  and  his  men  pursued  them,  and  he  sent 
messengers  to  all  the  other  Israelites  round  about  and 
they  joined  in  the  chase,  so  that  the  Madianites  were 
completely  driven  away  and  never  dared  to  return 
again. 

Association. — Help  the  class  to  see  that  Gedeon  was 
enabled  to  conquer  his  foes  because  he  first  proved  himself 
a  true  servant  of  God  by  overthrowing  the  idol  worship. 
Ask  for  the  names  of  the  other  great  servants  of  God  of 
whom  we  have  just  heard — Noah  who  worshipped  God 
by  hojie,  Abraham  who  worshipped  God  by  jaith,  and 
Moses  who  worshipped  by  charity,  as  well  as  Gedeon 
who  worshipped  by  true  religion.  Explain  that  it  was  the 
Lord  Himself  Who  appeared  to  them,  though  He  is  some- 
times spoken  of  here  as  "  the  Angel  of  the  Lord."  Show 
that  we  know  that  it  was  the  Lord  because  His  servants 
worshipped  Him,  and  we  do  not  worship  angels.  (With 
elder  children  compaie  Apoc.  xix.  10.) 

Generalisation. — Sum  up  on  B.B.  leading  to  this  generali- 
sation: "We  must  worship  God  by  faith,  hope,  charity, 
and  religion." 

Memory  Work.— Cat.  180,  181,  184. 

Expression  Work. — Write  or  draw  the  story  of  Gedeon. 

Describe  briefly  how  Noah,  Abraham,  Moses,  and  Gedeon 
specially  showed  their  love  to  God. 


236  FAITH  AND  DUTY 


SECOND  COMMANDMENT:    TO    REVERENCE   HOLY 
THINGS. 

Teacher's  Thought. — "  The  fear  of  the  Lord  is  the  begin- 
ning of  wisdom."  (Psa.  ex.  10.) 

75.— Lesson  Subject :  The  Israelites  at  Sinai. 

References. — Exod.  xix.,  xx.,  xxxii. 

Apparatus. — Picture  of  a  mummied  animal,  B.B.  sketch 

Aim. — To  show  that  God  demands  reverence  from  His 
people,  and  will  punish  irreverence. 

Introduction. — One  or  two  questions  on  where  the 
Israehtes  lived  before  Moses  became  their  leader  and 
deliverer. 

Presentation  :  1.  The  Gods  of  Egypt. — Show  a  picture 
of  a  mummied  animal,  of  an  animal-headed  god,  etc.,  etc. 
Explain  that  the  Egyptians  worshipped  many  gods  and 
believed  that  they  assumed  the  form  of  certain  animals — • 
e.g.,  bulls,  cats,  crocodiles,  etc.  AU  these  ideas  of  gods 
would  be  quite  famihar  to  the  Israehtes,  and  so,  at  the 
very  commencement  of  their  journey,  God  gave  them  a 
lesson  to  teach  them  very  clearly  that  He  was  great  and 
holy,  and  must  be  worshipped  with  aU  reverence. 

2.  The  Israelites  at  Sinai. — With  coloured  chalks  draw 
a  vaUey  between  high  hills  of  black  and  yeUow  granite, 
with  a  huge  mountain  at  one  end.  TeU  how  the  Israehtes 
came  to  this  place  when  they  had  been  traveUing  two  or 
three  months;  God  said  that  they  were  to  camp  here. 
He  intended  that  they  should  remain  here  for  some  time, 
as  there  was  much  to  teach  them.  They  could  not  camp 
out  in  the  desert  even  though  they  could  find  a  sufficiently 
large  tract  of  fertile  land  for  their  flocks  and  herds,  for 
the  country  was  full  of  wild  tribes  who  would  swoop  down 
on  them.  (Let  the  class  notice  what  a  good  camping- 
place  the  valley  was,  warm  for  the  cattle,  and  with  only 
one  end  to  guard.) 


THE  TEN  COMMANDMENTS  237 

When  they  had  made  their  camp,  God  called  Moses 
and  said  to  him:  "  Tell  the  children  of  Israel  that  I  have 
chosen  them  to  be  My  own  people,  and  I  will  take  special 
care  of  them  as  I  did  when  I  saved  them  from  the  Pharaoh 
of  Egypt,  but  they  must  obey  Me  in  all  things,  and  then 
it  will  be  well  with  them."  Then  Moses  told  the  people 
what  God  had  said,  and  they  answered:  "All  that  the 
Lord  hath  spoken  we  will  do."  Then  the  Lord  told  Moses 
that  He  would  speak  with  him  upon  Mount  Sinai,  the 
great  mountain  at  the  head  of  the  vaUey,  a  cloud  should 
descend  upon  it  and  the  people  should  hear  the  Voice  of 
God  speaking  to  Moses  from  the  cloud;  meanwhile  they 
were  to  spend  the  next  three  days  getting  ready  to  meet 
God;  they  were  to  wash  their  clothes  and  keep  themselves 
free  from  sin,  and  so  be  ready  to  meet  the  Lord.  No 
man  and  no  animal  must  go  near  the  holy  mountain;  if 
they  touched  it  they  must  be  killed  at  once,  for  God  had 
chosen  this  mountain  for  His  throne  and  no  one  must 
approach  it  without  permission.  When  a  loud  trumpet 
should  sound  from  heaven  then  they  were  to  assemble  at 
the  foot  of  the  mount. 

3.  The  Israelites  in  the  Presence  of  God. — Continue  in  the 
words  of  Exod.  xix.  16-24.  Then  Moses  came  down  and 
told  the  people  to  behave  as  quietly  and  reverently  as 
possible  in  the  presence  of  the  Lord  of  heaven  and  earth. 
Continue  in  the  words  of  Exod.  xx.  1-21. 

4.  The  Israelites  forget  the  Presence  of  God. — So  the 
people  waited  for  Moses  below  in  the  vallej^  Whenever 
they  looked  up  they  saw  the  great  mountain  at  the  end, 
its  summit  hidden  in  cloud,  where  the  God  of  Israel  was 
talking  with  Moses  their  leader.  (Let  the  class  discuss 
how  they  ought  to  behave  in  Moses'  absence.) 

But  it  seemed  to  them  that  Moses  was  gone  a  long  time, 
and  they  got  tired  of  waiting.  They  wanted  a  god  whom 
they  could  serve  with  feast  and  laughter;  they  did  not 
wish  to  wait  and  wait  till  Moses  came  back  with  strict 
rules  for  them  to  follow.     So  thc}^  went  to  Aaron,  who 


238  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

had  been  left  in  charge,  and  said:  "  Make  us  gods  to  lead 
us;  we  don't  know  what  has  become  of  Moses,  we  are 
tired  of  waiting  for  him."  And  Aaron  thought:  "Any- 
thing to  keep  them  quiet."  And  he  said:  "  Bring  me  all 
your  gold  ear-rings  and  any  other  jewellery  you  have"; 
and  as  both  men  and  women  wore  jewellery  in  those  days, 
they  brought  him  a  great  deal.  Then  Aaron  threw  it  all 
into  a  great  caldron  to  melt  it  down,  and  he  made  a 
calf  of  gold  from  the  molten  metal.  It  looked  beautiful 
when  he  had  finished,  just  like  the  splendid  idols  they  had 
seen  in  Egypt,  and  the  people  were  delighted  with  it. 
"  This  is  our  god  which  brought  us  up  out  of  the  land  of 
Egypt,"  they  cried.  And  Aaron  said:  "  To-morrow  we'll 
have  a  great  feast."  In  the  morning  they  got  up  early 
and  began  to  offer  sacrifices  to  the  golden  calf,  and  then 
they  feasted,  and  after  that  played  games  and  danced  and 
sang,  pretending  that  that  foohsh  golden  calf  was  their 
god,  and  turning  their  backs  on  the  solemn  mountain  with 
the  cloud  resting  on  its  summit. 

But  down  from  the  mountain  someone  was  coming. 
Stepping  very  carefully,  bearing  something  very  precious, 
Moses  was  returning  to  the  people.  He  carried  two  slabs 
of  stone,  and  on  them  were  written  the  Ten  Command- 
ments by  the  hand  of  God  Himself.  He  had  not  forgotten 
the  people,  though  they  had  forgotten  Him.  But  as 
Moses  drew  near  to  the  camp  in  the  valley  he  saw  the 
golden  calf  and  the  people  dancing  round  it,  and  a  great 
anger  filled  his  heart;  he  threw  down  the  precious  stone 
tablets  which  he  carried  and  smashed  them  to  pieces  at 
the  bottom  of  the  mount.  He  felt  that  it  was  useless  to 
give  these  people  the  laws  of  God. 

5.  The  Israelites  punished  and  forgiven.  —  Then  Moses 
seized  that  golden  calf  and  burnt  it  up,  and  he  took  the 
ashes  and  ground  them  quite  small  and  mixed  them  with 
water  and  made  the  people  drink  it.  Then  he  sternly 
reproved  Aaron,  who  made  silly  excuses,  and  he  prayed 
to  God  both  for  Aaron  and  for  the  people,  that  their  great 


THE  TEN  COMMANDMENTS  239 

wickedness  might  be  forgiven.  So  the  Lord  forgave  them, 
but  He  also  punished  them.  Those  who  were  not  sorry 
died;  and  the  others  had  illness  and  misfortune  come  upon 
them,  that  they  might  know  that  we  cannot  sin  against 
God  and  yet  go  free. 

Then  the  Lord  wrote  the  Commandments  again  for 
Moses,  and  renewed  His  promise  to  lead  the  children  of 
Israel  into  the  land  of  Chanaan. 

Association. — Let  the  class  discuss  why  the  Israelites 
were  forbidden  to  touch  Mount  Sinai,  why  it  was  so  wicked 
to  make  the  golden  calf,  and  why  it  was  necessary  that 
they  should  be  punished  even  though  forgiven. 

Memory  Work.— Cat.  188. 

Expression  Work. — Draw  or  write  the  story. 

Print  the  Second  Commandment. 

76.— Lesson  Subject :  Core,  Dathan,  and  Abiron. 

Reference. — Num.  xvi.  1-35. 

Apparatus. — Model  or  picture  of  the  Tabernacle. 

Aim. — To  show  that  we  must  reverence  God  and  all 
holy  persons  and  things. 

Introduction. — One  or  two  questions  on  the  last  lesson. 

Presentation  :  1.  God's  Holy  House  and  Holy  Servants.— 
Moses  stayed  in  that  holy  mountain  forty  days,  and  God 
told  him  all  that  He  wished  him  to  do.  One  thing  made 
Moses  specially  glad — God  said  that  He  would  be  with 
the  IsraeUtes  in  their  journeys,  and  they  were  to  make 
Him  a  house  where  He  would  dwell.  (Let  the  class 
describe  the  building  of  the  Tabernacle;  show  model  or 
picture.) 

This  Tent  was  holy,  for  it  was  God's  house,  and  only 
those  persons  whom  He  chose  might  serve  Him  there; 
the  rest  of  the  people  worshipped  before  the  door  of  the 
enclosure.  (Point  it  out.)  God  chose  Aaron,  the  brother 
of  Moses,  to  be  the  high-priest,  and  Aaron's  sons  to  be 
the  priests;  they  might  come  specially  near  to  God,  and 
enter   the   Holy   Place,    and   offer   sacrifices.     Aaron   the 


240  FATTH  AND  DUTY 

high -priest  might  even  enter  the  Holy  of  Holies  once  a 
year,  where  God's  visible  Presence  dwelt  in  glory  between 
the  cherubim  over  the  Ark.  God  also  chose  one  of  the 
families  or  tribes  of  Israel,  the  Levites,  to  be  His  special 
servants;  they  were  not  priests,  but  they  ministered  in 
the  Tabernacle  and  carried  it  when  they  journeyed. 

After  God  had  explained  everything  to  Moses,  and  the 
Tabernacle  was  made,  the  people  started  again  on  their 
journey  towards  the  Promised  Land.  God  had  said  that 
Moses  was  to  be  their  leader,  and  they  were  to  obey  him 
in  all  things,  for  he  represented  God  to  them;  and  Aaron 
and  his  sons  were  to  be  their  priests,  who  represented  them 
to  God. 

2.  The  Men  who  did  not  reverence  Holy  Things. — Now 
Moses  was  leading  the  people  because  God  had  told  him 
to  do  so,  and  Aaron  and  his  sons  were  priests  because 
God  had  chosen  them;  they  did  not  think  themselves 
greater  or  better  than  the  rest  of  the  people :  they  simply 
obeyed  God  because  they  were  His  servants. 

But  there  were  some  men  among  the  people  who  were 
jealous  of  them.  A  man  named  Core,  and  some  of  his 
friends,  grumbled  together  and  said:  "What  right  have 
Aaron  and  his  sons  to  be  priests  rather  than  we  ?  All  the 
people  have  equal  rights.  We  are  just  as  good  as  they 
are." 

Besides  this,  two  other  men,  Dathan  and  Abiron, 
grumbled  together  and  said:  "What  right  has  Moses  to 
be  the  chief  man  among  us  ?  He  may  think  himself  very 
important,  but  he  is  no  better  than  we  are,  and  he  has 
not  been  able  to  bring  us  to  the  land  of  Chanaan  yet." 
Then  all  these  discontented  men  went  together  to  Moses 
and  Aaron  and  said:  "Let  .  .  .  Lord"  (v.  3).  Then 
Moses  was  much  distressed,  for  he  knew  how  wicked  it 
was  of  these  men  to  be  disrespectful  to  God's  servants,  for 
in  so  doing  they  were  being  rude  to  God.  So  Moses  prayed 
to  God  and  asked  what  he  should  do.  Read  verses  5-11 
slowly  and  gravely,  as  Moses  would   speak  them.     Then 


THE  TEN  COMMANDMENTS  241 

Moses  sent  for  Dathan  and  Abiron  to  come  and  speak  to 
him ;  perhaps  he  wanted  to  talk  quietly  with  them  instead 
of  reproving  them  publicly;  but  they  rudely  answered 
that  they  would  not  come:  they  were  not  bound  to  obey 
him,  for  they  were  just  as  good  as  he  was. 

Then  Moses  prayed  to  God  and  asked  Him  to  judge 
these  men,  Dathan  and  Abiron,  who  thought  that  they 
had  just  as  much  right  to  lead  the  people  as  Moses  whom 
God  had  chosen,  and  Core  and  his  friends  who  thought 
that  they  were  just  as  much  priests  as  God's  ordained 
ministers. 

It  was  arranged  that  in  the  morning  they  should  all 
assemble  before  the  holy  Tabernacle,  and  then  God  would 
show  whom  He  had  chosen.  In  the  morning  everyone 
was  there.  Dathan  and  Abiron  stood  at  the  door  of  their 
tents,  with  their  friends  around  them;  they  claimed  the 
leadership  of  the  people,  and  so  they  stood  among  the 
people;  Core  and  his  friends  came  forward  in  front  of  the 
Tabernacle  with  censers  in  then  hands;  they  claimed  an 
equal  right  to  the  priesthood  with  Aaron  and  his  sons,  so 
they  stood  boldly  in  front  of  God's  house:  at  some  distance 
from  them,  towards  the  other  side  of  the  tabernacle  court, 
stood  Moses  and  Aaron,  Aaron  holding  his  censer,  the 
emblem  of  his  office. 

Then  Moses  called  aloud  to  the  congregation  of  Israel: 
"  Come  away  from  Core,  Dathan,  and  Abiron,  and  watch 
what  the  Lord  will  do  to  them.  If  something  new  and 
strange  and  dreadful  happens  then  you  will  know  that 
it  is  God's  punishment  for  their  disrespect  and  irreverence." 

And  it  came  to  pass  that  as  soon  as  Moses  had  finished 
speaking  the  ground  suddenly  opened  beneath  the  tents 
of  Dathan  and  Abiron,  and  they  disappeared  into  the 
great  pit  which  yawned  beneath  them,  and  the  earth- 
quake ceased,  and  the  ground  closed  up  again;  and  as 
Core  and  his  friends  stood  trembUng  with  fright,  their 
censers  in  their  hands,  the  Lord  sent  fierce  flames  of  fire 
among  them  and  destroyed  them  all.     Then  the  rest  of 

16 


242  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

the  Israelites  were  terrified  and  fled  away.  They  knew 
that  this  dreadful  punishment  had  been  sent  because 
these  men  had  no  respect  and  reverence  for  God,  or  for 
His  holy  house  and  holy  servants. 

Association. — Let  the  class  review  the  lesson.  With  elder 
children  explain  that  certain  Protestant  sects  hold  the 
views  of  Core,  and  the  Russian  Bolsheviks  are  followers 
of  Dathan  and  Abiron. 

Memory  Work.— Cat.  189. 

Expression  Work. — Write  or  draw  the  story. 

77.— Lesson  Subject :  The  Ark  among  the 
Philistines. 

References.— Exod.  xxv.  10-22;  1  Kings  iv.  1-12,  vi.  1-20. 

Apparatus. — A  sketch  or  model  of  the  Ark. 

Aim. — To  show  that  God  demands  reverence  for  Him- 
self, and  all  that  He  hallows  by  His  presence. 

Note  to  the  Teacher. — The  Ark  was  an  oblong  chest 
made  of  acacia  wood  and  overlaid  with  gold  within  and 
without.  A  rim  of  gold  ran  along  the  edges,  and  there 
were  two  gold  rings  on  each  side  through  which  the  carry- 
ing poles  ran.  Inside  the  Ark  were  the  two  tables  of  stone 
and  "  the  golden  pot  that  had  manna,  and  the  rod  of 
Aaron  that  had  blossomed  "  (Heb.  ix.  4).  The  hd  formed 
the  mercy-seat,  and  also  the  altar  on  which  the  blood 
was  sprinkled  on  the  Day  of  Atonement.  Two  golden 
cherubim  stood  on  the  mercy-seat  with  outspread  wings, 
and  here  the  Shecinah  rested.  A  sketch  of  the  Ark  can 
be  quickly  made  with  yellow  chalk,  and  is  quite  effective. 

Introduction. — A  few  questions  on  the  Tabernacle, 
bringing  out  that  it  travelled  with  the  Israelites  on  their 
journeys. 

Introductory  Presentation. — Show  a  sketch  or  model  of 
the  Ark,  and  discuss  it  with  the  class.  Explain  that  it 
stood  in  the  Holy  of  Holies,  and  was  God's  throne,  where 
He  had  promised  that  His  presence  should  always  rest. 
He  Himself  had  given  it  a  beautiful  name,  "  The  Mercy- 


THE  TEN  COMMANDMENTS  243 

Seat";  He  had  promised  to  speak  with  His  people  there. 
Let  the  class  say  how  the  people  would  regard  the  Ark. 

Presentation :  1.  The  Ark  taken  by  the  Philistines. — 
The  Israelites  had  lived  in  the  land  of  Chanaan  for  many 
years,  but  still  they  were  often  at  war.  (Ask  for  the 
names  of  some  of  their  enemies,  and  the  causes  which  led 
to  their  success.)  Whenever  the  Israelites  had  neglected 
to  worship  and  serve  the  Lord  He  allowed  the  Philistines 
to  conquer  them  in  battle.  (Refer  to  that  first  battle 
with  the  Amalekites,  only  won  by  prayer.)  Now  the 
Israelites  had  behaved  very  badly  of  late,  but  instead  of 
being  sorry  and  asking  God's  forgiveness  and  help  they  just 
tried  to  fight  the  Philistines  all  by  themselves.  Of  course 
the  Philistines  defeated  them.  When  the  Israelites  saw 
that  the  battle  was  going  against  them  they  had  what 
they  thought  was  a  brilliant  idea — they  sent  and  fetched 
the  Ark  of  the  Lord  into  the  battle — as  if  the  Presence  of 
the  Lord  would  help  them  when  they  were  disobeying 
Him  !  And  when  the  Ark  came  into  the  camp  all  the 
people  shouted  until  the  earth  rang  again;  the  PhiHstines 
heard  the  noise  and  wondered  what  it  meant,  and  when 
they  knew,  they  were  afraid,  and  said:  "God  is  come  into 
the  camp.  Woe  unto  us  !  who  shall  deliver  us  out  of  the 
hands  of  these  mighty  gods  ?  These  are  the  gods  that 
smote  the  Eg^^tians  with  all  manner  of  plagues  in  the 
wilderness."  But  they  added  pluckily,  "  Be  strong  and 
quit  yourselves  like  men,  O  ye  Philistines,  quit  yourselves 
like  men  and  fight  !"  So  they  fought  and  defeated  the 
IsraeUtes,  and  took  the  Ark  of  God. 

2.  The  Ark  among  the  Philistines. — When  the  PhiHstines 
captured  the  Ark  they  thought  that  it  was  because  their 
god  Dagon  was  stronger  than  the  Lord,  for  they  knew  no 
better.  Therefore,  instead  of  treating  the  Ark  with 
reverence,  they  put  it  in  the  temple  of  the  idol  Dagon, 
thinking  that  he  had  captured  it,  as  one  takes  a  prisoner 
in  battle.  Early  next  morning  the}^  went  to  the  temple, 
and  behold  !  Dagon  lay  on  his  face  upon  the  ground  before 


244  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

the  Ark  of  the  Lord  !  They  lifted  him  up  and  put  him 
in  his  place  again,  thinking  that  it  was  an  accident.  But 
next  morning  Dagon  had  fallen  down  again,  and  this  time 
his  head  and  his  hands  were  broken  off.  Then  the  Philis- 
tines were  frightened,  they  could  no  longer  beheve  that 
their  idol  was  stronger  than  the  God  of  Israel,  Whose  Ark 
they  had  taken  in  battle.  Also,  horrible  sores  broke  out 
upon  everyone  in  the  town,  until  the  people  were  terrified, 
and  said:  "  The  Ark  of  the  God  of  Israel  shall  not  abide 
with  us,  for  His  hand  is  sore  upon  us,  and  upon  Dagon 
our  god."  So  they  sent  the  Ark  away  to  another  city, 
but  here  also  sores  broke  out  on  the  people,  and  they  were 
frightened  and  sent  it  on  again.  In  this  way  the  Ark 
travelled  through  five  Philistine  cities,  and  wherever  it 
came  the  people  were  terrified,  for  sores  broke  out  on  them, 
and  countless  field  mice  appeared  and  ate  their  crops, 
and  that  was  a  serious  matter  for  them,  because  they 
depended  upon  their  corn  for  t^eir  living;  they  were  all 
farmers,  and  their  god  Dagon  was  supposed  to  be  the  god 
of  farmers,  who  gave  them  good  harvests.  But  now 
Dagon  was  broken,  and  his  fields  were  overrun  by  mice, 
and  the  people  were  powerless,  and  quite  certainly  Dagon 
was  powerless  too. 

3.  The  Ark  sent  back  to  the  Israelites. — At  last  the 
PhiUstines  called  a  meeting  and  said,  "  What  shall  we 
do  with  the  Ark  of  the  Lord  ?"  and  they  decided  to  send 
it  back  again  to  the  Israelites;  but  they  said,  "  If  we  send 
it  back  we  must  send  with  it  a  present  to  this  mighty 
God  of  the  Israelites.  We  did  not  treat  His  Ark  with 
respect  and  reverence :  that  is  why  these  ills  have  befallen 
us;  but  if  we  give  Him  a  present  He  will  know  that  we 
are  sorry,  and  perhaps  He  will  take  away  the  plague  of 
mice  and  make  us  well  again."  Then  they  discussed 
what  to  give  as  a  present,  and  they  decided  to  make  five 
golden  models  of  the  sores,  and  five  golden  mice,  because 
the  people  of  five  cities  had  suffered  from  these  things. 
So  they  made  these  jewels  of  gold,  and  put  them  in  a 


THE  TEN  COMMANDMENTS  245 

box.  Then  they  took  a  new  cart  which  had  never  been 
used,  and  two  young  cows  which  had  never  been  made 
to  work,  and  they  harnessed  the  cows  to  the  cart,  and 
reverently  placed  the  Ark  upon  it,  and  the  golden  jewels 
in  the  box  beside  it.  "  Now,"  they  said,  "  we  shall  just 
see  if  the  God  of  Israel  is  as  powerful  as  we  have  supposed. 
If  He  is.  He  will  work  a  miracle  and  make  these  heifers 
draw  the  Ark  to  the  Israelites'  land,  but  if  not  they  will 
certainly  go  home  again,  for  we  have  taken  their  calves 
from  them  and  shut  them  up  in  the  cow-shed:  if  they  go 
back  to  them,  as  is  natural,  we  shall  know  that  our  mis- 
fortunes were  just  ill-luck  and  had  nothing  to  do  with  the 
Ark  at  all."  Then  they  watched  eagerly,  and  a  wonder- 
ful thing  came  to  pass,  for  the  cows,  lowing  for  their  lost 
calves,  drew  the  cart  away  from  home,  towards  the  town 
of  Bethsames,  in  the  land  of  Israel. 

The  cows  walked  on  till  they  came  to  Bethsames,  where 
men  were  harvesting.  The  reapers  looked  up,  and  behold, 
the  Ark  was  coming  !  The  cart  entered  the  harvest-field, 
and  stopped;  and  all  the  people  hastened  round  it,  rejoicing. 

Then  the  men  of  Israel  gave  thanks  to  God.  But  some 
of  the  people  forgot  the  reverence  due  to  holy  things, 
and  they  lifted  up  the  covering  of  the  Ark  and  looked  in, 
thinking,  "  Here's  a  chance  for  us  to  see  for  ourselves 
what  is  there.  It  can't  matter."  But  it  did  matter — 
they  died. 

Association. — Let  the  class  review  the  three  lessons  on 
reverence,  recaUing  the  main  points  of  each,  summarise 
on  B.B.  and  lead  to  some  such  conclusion  as  the  following: 

Generalisation. — We  must  reverence  holy  persons  and 
things. 

Application. — Let  the  class  give  examples  of  those 
persons  and  things  to  whom  our  reverence  is  due.  The 
ideas  underlying  Cat.  185  and  186  might  here  be  inculcated. 

Memory  Work.— Cat.  185,  186. 

Expression  Work. — Write  or  draw  the  story. 

Print  the  generalisation. 


246  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

Note  to  the  Teacher. — The  second  meaning  of  this  com- 
mandment (Cat.  190,  191)  cannot  be  understood  by  children 
of  this  age,  and  is  better  taught  in  the  next  grade. 


THIRD  COMMANDMENT :  TO  KEEP  THE  RULES  OF  THE 
CHURCH. 

Teacher's  Thought. — "  Obedience  is  better  than  sacri- 
fices" (1  Kings  XV.  22). 

Note  to  the  Teacher. — In  this  section  the  aim  is  not  to 
teach  fully  the  rules  of  the  Church,  but  to  show  that  the 
Church  has  rules,  and  that  as  such  we  are  bound  to  obey 
them. 

78. — Lesson  Subject :  1.  The  Early  Christians 
and  the  Rule  of  Worship. 

Apparatus. — A  picture  of  martyrs,  preferably  Dore's. 

Aim. — To  show  how  the  early  Christians  kept  the  rule 
of  worship,  and  to  inspire  the  children  with  a  desire  to  do 
the  same. 

Note  to  the  Teacher. — The  Roman  Emperors  persecuted 
the  Christians  because  they  were  afraid  of  secret  societies, 
the  Empire  was  beginning  to  decay,  and  traitors  were 
numerous.  The  Christians  always  kept  the  Mystery  of 
the  Mass  a  complete  secret  from  any  unbaptized  person, 
and  therefore  this  service  specially  roused  the  suspicions 
of  the  Emperors.  The  catacombs  were  subterranean 
burial-places  outside  the  waUs  of  Rome;  no  dead  might 
be  buried  in  the  city.  They  were  quite  pubHc  places, 
containing  private  burial  chambers  belonging  to  different 
famiHes.  The  Christians  used  them  for  worship,  so  in 
times  of  persecution  the  usual  openings  were  blocked  up 
and  secret  ones  made. 

Any  small  picture  of  a  Roman  god  or  Emperor  can  be 
quickly  enlarged  in  mass- work  on  the  B.B.  {i.e.,  white 
chalk  is  laid  on  thickly,  and  the  shadows  picked  out  with 
a  duster.     It  is  very  effective). 


THE  TEN  COMMANDMENTS  247 

Introduction. — Ask  when  and  to  whom  God  gave  the 
Ten  Commandments,  why  (because  they  were  God's 
special  people),  and  to  whom  He  gives  His  special  rules 
to-day. 

Presentation  :  1.  The  Rules  of  the  Early  Christians. — 
When  the  Lord  Jesus  ascended  into  heaven  He  left  His 
disciples  on  earth  to  carry  on  His  work,  and  they  taught 
people  about  Him.  These  people,  when  they  beheved  in 
Christ  and  were  baptized,  were  called  "  Christians,"  and 
they  have  been  known  by  that  name  ever  since.  (Question 
this  if  preferred.) 

The  Christians  kept  all  the  rules  which  God  gave  to  the 
Jews  so  long  ago,  and  they  kept  them  even  better  than 
the  Jews  did,  because  the  Lord  Jesus  had  explained  just 
how  God  washed  them  to  be  kept.  For  instance,  the  Jews 
were  told  to  "  keep  holy  the  Sabbath  Day  "  (question  on 
some  of  the  Jewish  observances — e.g.,  the  services  of  the 
synagogue,  the  sacrifices  in  the  Temple),  but  the  Christians 
kept  the  first  day  of  the  week  instead  of  the  seventh 
(ask  why);  and  they  had  no  Temple  and  no  sacrifices 
such  as  the  Jews  had,  for  they  had  our  Lord's  own  Holy 
Sacrifice  instead,  and,  of  course,  they  went  to  Mass  every 
Sunday  morning,  and  on  weekdays  too  whenever  they 
could. 

But  to  go  to  Mass  on  Sunday  morning  then  was  not  as 
easy  as  it  is  now.  To  begin  with,  there  were  no  churches; 
the  Christians  met  together  in  their  friends'  houses,  and 
sometimes,  when  that  was  forbidden,  in  caves  and  holes 
in  the  ground. 

Besides  this,  there  was  very  little  time  on  a  Sunday  for 
going  to  church,  because  Sunday  then  was  an  ordinary 
working  day,  not  a  hoHday  as  we  know  it.  The  folk  who 
made  the  laws  were  not  Christians,  and  they  did  not  care 
how  hard  their  servants  worked,  and  never  thought  of 
giving  them  a  hoHday  one  day  a  week;  also  Sunday  meant 
nothing  to  them  i  they  knew  nothing  about  the  Lord  Jesus 
and  cared  less.     As  most  of  the  Christians  were  poor,  and 


248  .  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

served  heathen  masters,  matters  were  very  difficult  foi 
them.  There  was  God's  rule  of  worship  to  be  kept,  but 
the  heathen  master  to  be  served.  (Let  the  class  discuss 
the  situation.)  What  they  did  was  to  get  up  very  early 
in  the  morning  and  go  to  Mass  before  the  working-time 
began.  Then  they  worked  hard  all  day,  and  met  together 
to  praise  and  thank  God  at  night,  when  work  was  done. 
(Discuss  the  value  of  such  a  Sunday  in  God's  sight;  ask 
if  those  Christians  would  have  worked  on  Sundays  nowa- 
days, for  their  own  profit,  rather  than  give  the  whole  day 
to  God  if  they  could.) 

2.  The  Troubles  of  the  Early  Christians.— Presently  the 
Christians  had  greater  difficulties  still.  The  Emperor 
made  a  law  that  no  one  must  be  a  Christian  at  all.  It  had 
come  to  his  ears  that  they  met  in  secret  and  would  not 
allow  any  heathen  person  to  be  present  at  their  meetings; 
of  course  this  was  because  they  could  not  let  an  unbaptized 
person  come  to  Mass,  to  profane  the  Holy  Mysteries,  but 
the  Emperor  thought  that  it  was  because  they  were  plotting 
against  him :  it  was  against  the  law  of  the  land  for  secret 
meetings  to  be  held.  No  one  beheved  the  Christians  when 
they  explained  that  they  were  doing  no  harm.  They  were 
always  told:  "Well,  if  you  mean  no  harm,  burn  some 
incense  before  one  of  the  gods,  or  before  a  statue  of  the 
Emperor,  and  promise  not  to  worship  Christ  any  more." 
When  the  Christians  refused  to  offer  incense  to  these 
images,  or  to  stop  worshipping  the  Lord,  they  were  killed 
in  many  cruel  ways.  (Enlarge  if  liked.)  But  still  those 
who  were  left  continued  to  worship  our  Lord  and  to  go  to 
Mass  whenever  they  could. 

Illustration. — This  is  a  true  story  of  what  happened  to 
one  young  Christian  girl,  and  there  were  many  others  who 
were  treated  just  the  same.  The  girl's  name  was  Priscilla, 
but  her  friends  called  her  Prisca — St.  Prisca  we  call  her 
now,  and  you  can  find  her  name  among  the  saints  of  the 
Church.  Her  father  was  a  rich  and  noble  Roman  gentle- 
man, but  the  Emperor  had  ordered  all  Christians  to  be 


THE  TEN  COMMANDMENTS  249 

killed,  and  nobody's  life  was  safe.  The  Cliristians  dared 
not  hold  services  in  their  houses,  so  they  used  to  go  out 
of  the  town  to  the  burial-places  beyond  the  city  walls — 
underground  caves  and  tunnellings  opening  into  under- 
ground rooms  which  -yvere  used  as  tombs.  They  are  called 
the  Catacombs,  and  can  still  be  seen.  Even  now  one  is 
called  the  Catacomb  of  St.  Priscilla.  The  usual  entrance 
was  blocked  up  and  a  secret  entrance  made,  and  here  one 
would  have  thought  that  they  could  hear  Mass  in  safety; 
but  the  Emperor  heard  that  St.  Prisca  was  a  Christian, 
and  sent  for  her.  She  was  only  a  girl  of  thirteen,  and 
perhaps  he  thought  that  he  could  easily  frighten  her  into 
doing  as  he  wished. 

"I  hear  you  are  a  Christian,"  said  the  Emperor;  *' if 
that  is  so  you  must  die;  but  if  you  will  offer  incense  to  this 

statue  of  the  god  (so  and  so,  show  picture  of  Jove, 

Juno,  Apollo,  Diana,  or  an  Emperor,  etc.),  and  promise 
never  to  worship  Christ  any  more,  you  shall  go  back  to 
your  friends  in  safety." 

St.  Prisca  looked  at  the  statue  and  said:  "  That  is  no 
god  at  all,  I  shall  not  offer  incense  or  pray  to  that.  1  am 
a  Christian,  and  worship  the  Lord  Christ,  Who  is  God  of 
all  the  world." 

Then  the  Emperor  was  very  angry  and  ordered  that 
St.  Prisca  should  be  beaten  very  cruelly  and  then  im- 
prisoned. But  despite  all  this  she  felt  very,  very  happy, 
and  sang  joyful  hymns  all  night  long,  and  her  cell  was 
filled  with  angels.  The  next  day  she  was  brought  before 
the  Emperor  again,  and  again  he  urged  her  to  worship 
idols  instead  of  God,  and  once  more  she  refused.  Nothing 
would  induce  her  to  give  up  her  faith.  So  she  was  beaten 
more  cruelly  than  before,  and  then  thrown  to  a  lion;  but 
the  lion  would  not  harm  her,  it  crouched  at  her  feet  and 
licked  them.  Then  she  was  cruelly  tortured  and  finally 
beheaded — and  all  this  was  done  because  she,  a  girl  of 
thirteen,  persisted  in  keeping  God's  rules  and  worshipping 
Him  in  the  holy  services  of  the  Church. 


250  .     FAITH  AND  DUTY 

Application. — Ask  if  this  rule  is  binding  on  us  as  well 
as  on  the  early  Christians.  Discuss  how  much  easier  it  is 
for  us  to  keep  it  than  for  them.  Ask  how  God  makes  His 
rules  known  to  us  (by  the  Church),  and  explain  that  the 
first  rule  of  the  Church  is  to  keep  Sunday  and  holy  days 
holy  by  hearing  Mass,  and  doing  no  work  which  we  are 
not  obliged  to  do,  that  we  may  have  time  for  prayer  and 
reading,  etc. 

Memory  Work. — The  Third  Commandment  is,  "  Remem- 
ber that  thou  keep  holy  the  Sabbath  Day."  "  By  the  Third 
Commandment  we  are  commanded  to  keep  the  Sunday 
holy  ...  by  hearing  Mass  and  resting  from  servile  works 
.  .  .  that  we  may  have  time  and  opportunity  for  prayer, 
going  to  the  sacraments,  hearing  insti  uctions,  and  reading 
good  books."     Cat.  192,  193,  194,  195. 

Expression  Work. — Describe  the  troubles  of  the  early 
Christians. 

Write  the  story  of  St.  Prisca. 

Print  the  Third  Commandment. 

79. — Lesson  Subject :  2.  The  Four  Hebrew  Boys 
and  the  Rule  of  Sel£-Denial. 

Reference. — Daniel  i. 

Apparatus. — ^Pictures  of  Babylonian  architecture,  idols, 
etc.     Map  showing  Palestine  and  Assyria. 

Aim. — To  show  how  the  Hebrew  boys  kept  the  rule  of 
self-denial,  and  to  inspire  the  children  to  do  the  same". 

Introduction. — Put  up  a  large  map  showing  Palestine 
and  Assyria  (it  may  be  roughly  drawn  with  coloured 
chalks  on  B.B.).  Let  a  child  come  out  of  class  and  point 
to  Palestine.  Question  the  class  briefly  on  the  conquest 
of  Chanaan  or  Palestine,  and  on  the  continual  inroads  by 
^yarHke  tribes  when  the  Israelites  disobeyed  God.  Question 
this,  faihng  a  map. 

Presentation  :  1.  The  Hebrew  Boys  taken  Captive. — The 
IsraeUtes,  or  Hebrews,  as  their  neighbours  called  them, 
lived  in  Chanaan  for  hundreds  of  years:  things  went  well 


THE  TEN  COMMANDMENTS  251 

with  them  when  they  obeyed  God,  and  ill  when  they 
disobeyed.  At  last  disobedience  became  so  general  that 
God  was  obliged  to  punish  them  severely.  (Refer  to  the 
Flood.)  In  the  same  way  God  saw  that  He  must  clean 
out  the  country  of  Chanaan,  so  he  allowed  Eang  Nabu- 
chodonosor  of  Babylon  (show  on  map)  to  come  down  on 
the  IsraeUtes  with  a  great  army,  and  conquer  them  and 
carry  many  of  them  away  captive  to  Babylon.  Among 
those  taken  captive  were  some  who  were  God's  true 
servants;  they  were  suffering  for  the  sins  of  other  people, 
but  God  made  things  work  out  well  for  them. 

Among  these  were  four  boys,  named  Daniel,  Ananias, 
Misael,  and  Azarias:  they  loved  their  names  because  they 
all  meant  something  about  God — Daniel  means  "  God  is 
my  judge";  Ananias,  "Jehovah  is  gracious";  Misael, 
"  Who  is  what  God  is  ?"  Azarias,  "  Jehovah  has  helped." 
(Omit  meanifig  of  names  if  preferred.) 

The  long  journey  to  Babylon  was  very  interesting  to 
Daniel  and  his  friends.  It  took  weeks  and  weeks,  but 
at  last  they  came  to  a  wonderful  country,  quite  different 
from  their  own.  Their  country  was  small  and  hiQy,  with 
tiny  streams  and  few  wide  pastures :  this  country  was  very 
big  and  flat,  with  many  broad  rivers  and  beautiful  cities 
and  lovely  gardens  and  wide  fields.  They  were  taken  to 
a  marvellous  town  full  of  marble  palaces,  and  then  they 
were  given  into  the  care  of  one  of  the  king's  servants, 
Asphenez. 

2.  The  Hebrew  Boys  keep  God's  Rules. — One  day  the 
king  said  to  Asphenez:  "Choose  out  from  among  the 
captive  boys  those  who  are  strong  and  handsome  and 
clever,  and  see  that  they  are  well  fed  and  well  taught, 
and  at  the  end  of  three  years'  training  I  wiU  take  the  best 
of  them  into  my  service.  So  Asphenez  went  to  look  at 
the  captive  Hebrew  boys,  and  he  picked  out  Daniel  and 
his  friends  at  once,  for  they  were  handsome,  and  tall,  and 
strong.  "  What  is  your  name  ?"  he  asked  Daniel.  Daniel 
told  him.     "  You  shall  be  called  Baltasar,  you're  a  Baby- 


252  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

Ionian  now,  not  a  Hebrew,  remember  that !"  "  And  your 
name  ?"  he  asked  Ananias.  Ananias  told  him.  "  You 
shall  be  called  Sidrach."  (Continue  thus  with  the  other 
two  names.)  For  Asphenez  did  not  want  Daniel  and  his 
friends  to  be  reminded  of  God  any  more,  he  wanted  them 
to  worship  the  Babylonian  gods,  and  probably  their  new 
names  meant  something  about  these  heathen  gods.  Then 
he  said  to  the  boys:  "  The  king  has  specially  commanded 
that  you  boys  shall  have  rich  meat  and  wine  from  his 
own  table,  and  be  taught  by  the  wisest  men  in  the  land, 
so  that  you  may  grow  up  strong  and  wise  and  fit  to  be 
the  king's  special  servants." 

But  Daniel  was  very  much  troubled  when  he  heard  this; 
he  knew  that  it  was  one  of  God's  special  rules  that  Hebrew 
boys  must  not  eat  the  kind  of  food  which  Nabuchodonosor 
would  send  them,  however  nice  it  might  be,  and  he  deter- 
mined that  he  and  his  friends  would  not  eat  tt,  they  would 
obey  God  rather  than  the  king.  So  Daniel  went  to  Asphenez 
and  said  to  him:  "Please  allow  us  to  have  bread  and 
vegetables  and  water  instead  of  the  rich  food  and  wine 
from  the  king's  table.  It  is  one  of  God's  rules  that  we 
must  not  eat  such  food,  and  we  must  obey  God."  Now 
Asphenez  had  become  very  fond  of  Daniel,  so  he  was  not 
angry,  but  answered  him  gently:  "  I  dare  not  grant  your 
request,"  he  said,  "  because  the  king  himself  has  given 
orders  about  your  food,  and  if  you  have  only  the  plain 
food  for  which  you  ask  you  will  not  look  so  well  as  the 
other  boys,  and  the  king  will  hold  me  responsible,  and 
probably  have  me  beheaded."  Then  Daniel  went  to  the 
man  who  had  charge  of  him  and  his  friends,  a  man  named 
Malasar,  and  he  said:  "  I  want  you  to  try  an  experiment 
with  me  and  my  three  friends — give  us  nothing  but  bread 
and  vegetables  and  water  for  ten  days,  and  give  the  other 
boys  the  food  from  the  king's  table,  and  then  see  which  of 
us  look  the  most  strong  and  healthy.  And  if  we  look  just 
as  well  on  the  plain  food  please  let  us  have  it  always." 
Malasar  was  quite  willing  to  do  this,  so  Daniel  and  his 


THE  TEN  COMMANDMENTS  253 

friends  ate  their  plain  food  very  happily,  and  never  regretted 
the  rich  things  which  they  had  refused,  for  they  preferred 
to  keep  God's  rules  rather  than  have  nice  things  to  eat. 

3.  The  Hebrew  Boys  please  God  and  please  the  King. — 
At  the  end  of  ten  days  Malasar  came  to  look  at  all  the 
boys.  One  after  another  he  examined  them  carefully, 
and  he  found  that  Daniel  and  his  friends  looked  much  the 
best.  There  was  a  brighter  colour  in  their  cheeks,  and 
they  were  certainly  stronger  and  handsomer  and  healthier 
than  the  others.  It  was  evident  that  the  plain  food  agreed 
with  them.  So  they  were  allowed  to  eat  only  vegetable 
food  and  to  drink  water  all  the  three  years  of  their  school 
time;  and  every  year  they  grew  stronger  and  stronger. 
They  had  learnt  to  control  themselves,  and  to  do  what 
was  right  instead  of  just  what  they  fancied.  They  worked 
hard,  and  learnt  more  every  day.  At  the  end  of  three 
years  the  king  sent  for  all  the  boys  and  examined  them, 
and  he  found  that  the  wisest  of  all,  as  well  as  the  strongest 
and  handsomest,  were  Daniel,  Ananias,  Misael,  and 
Azarias;  so  the  king  made  them  his  own  special  servants, 
which  meant  great  honour  and  riches  for  Daniel  and  his 
friends. 

Association. — Compare  Daniel's  care  to  keep  God's  rules 
with  that  of  Samson,  letting  the  class  point  out  the  simi- 
larities, both  in  practice  and  result.  Let  the  class  again 
tell  who  are  God's  people  now,  and  how  He  gives  us  our 
rules.     Ask  what  rule  of  the  Church  we  learnt  last  time. 

Application. — Explain  that  God  gives  us  rules  to  teach 
us  self-control,  and  by  the  keeping  of  which  we  can  show 
that  we  belong  to  Him — the  Church's  rules  for  fasting  and 
abstinence.  He  does  not  ask  us  to  go  without  things 
entirely,  as  He  asked  Samson  and  Daniel,  but  only  to 
refuse  them  on  certain  days.  We  are  proud  to  do  so,  and 
thus  show  under  Whose  banner  we  fight,  and  we  have 
seen  for  ourselves  what  the  result  will  be. 

Memory  Work.— Cat.  234. 

Expression  Work. — Draw  or  write  the  story. 


254  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

80. — Lesson  Subject :  David  and  the  Rule  of 
Confession  of  Sin. 

Reference. — 2  Kings  xxiv. 

Apparatus. — A  picture  of  an  Eastern  threshing-floor, 
oxen,  yoke,  and  goad. 

Aim. — To  show  how  David  kept  the  rule  of  confession 
of  sin. 

Introduction. — A  few  questions  on  the  enemies  of  the 
Israehtes,  and  how  they  only  conquered  them  by  God's 
help. 

Presentation  :  1.  David's  Sin. — Soon  after  the  Israelites 
had  settled  down  in  the  land  of  Chanaan  God  gave  them 
a  splendid  soldier -king,  King  David.  He  fought 'many 
battles,  and  God  helped  him  and  gave  him  the  victory. 
But  one  day  David  thought  to  himself:  "I  am  a  very 
strong  king  and  have  a  great  many  soldiers,  I  am  sure 
that  I  can  win  what  battles  I  please.  I  will  count  my 
men  and  see  how  many  I  have."  And  David  forgot  that 
it  was  God  Who  helped  him  in  the  battles,  and  he  tried 
to  forget  that  God  had  specially  told  him  that  he  must  not 
count  his  people  just  to  see  how  many  there  were  and  feel 
proud  of  them.  But  Joab,  David's  captain,  remembered, 
and  he  tried  to  persuade  the  king  not  to  number  the  people, 
but  David  would  do  so.  He  sent  Joab  and  the  other 
captains  all  through  the  country  to  number  the  people, 
and  it  took  them  over  nine  months.  Then  they  came 
back  to  David  and  told  him  that  there  were  1,300,000  men 
in  his  kingdom. 

2.  David's  Contrition. — But  when  Joab  and  the  other 
captains  returned,  and  told  David  that  there  were  all  these 
men  ready  to  fight  for  him,  he  did  not  feel  proud  and 
joyful  as  he  had  expected  to  do.  He  suddenly  remembered 
that  he  had  deliberately  disobeyed  God,  and  he  felt  very, 
very  unhappy. 

3.  David's  Confession. — But  David  did  more  than  just 
feel  miserable.     He  knew  that  if  you  do  wrong  God  expects 


THE  TEN  COMMANDMENTS  255 

you  to  go  and  tell  Him  so  at  once,  and  say  exactly  what 
it  is  that  you  have  done,  and  tell  Him  that  you  are  sorry. 
So  David  said  unto  the  Lord:  "  I  have  sinned  very  much 
in  what  I  have  done:  but  I  pray  Thee,  O  Lord,  to  take 
away  the  iniquity  of  Thy  servant,  because  I  have  done  very 
fooHshly." 

4.  David's  Amendment. — Next  morning  a  holy  prophet 
came  to  David  with  a  message  from  the  Lord.  He  said: 
"  The  Lord  offers  you  three  things  as  a  choice  of  punish- 
ment for  your  sin.  Which  will  yOu  have — three  years 
in  which  no  corn  grows  and  all  the  people  are  hungry,  or 
three  months  in  which  your  enemies  defeat  you  in  battle 
after  battle,  or  three  days  in  which  the  people  die  by  an 
illness  from  the  hand  of  the  Lord  ?"  And  David  answered : 
"It  is  very  difficult  to  choose,  but  I  would  rather  have 
the  punishment  straight  from  the  hand  of  the  Lord,  for 
His  mercies  are  very  great."  David  knew  that  though 
he  was  sorry,  yet  he  must  still  bear  the  punishment  of 
his  sin,  and  so  he  humbly  accepted  what  the  Lord  sent 
him. 

Then  a  dreadful  disease  came  on  the  land,  and  thousands 
of  people  died;  and  David  was  very,  very  miserable:  it 
was  much  worse  to  see  his  people  die  than  to  be  ill  himself, 
and  he  prayed  very  earnestly  to  God,  saying:  "I  have 
sinned,  I  have  done  wickedly,  punish  me  in  some  other 
way  rather  than  let  my  people  die."  Then  God  saw  that 
David  was  truly  sorry  and  would  do  anything  he  could 
to  undo  the  wrong  that  he  had  done;  so  He  sent  the  prophet 
to  tell  him  that  he  might  offer  a  sacrifice  for  the  people 
and  that  then  no  more  should  die.  How  gJad  David  was 
to  find  that  there  was  something  which  he  could  do  !  The 
sacrifice  was  to  be  offered  on  a  high  piece  of  ground  over- 
looking Jerusalem,  on  the  threshing-floor  of  Areuna. 
David,  followed  by  his  servants,  set  out  at  once  for  Areuna's 
threshing-floor.  As  he  drew  near  he  could  see  the  chaff 
flying,  and  knew  that  Areuna  was  busy  threshing.  Two 
oxen,  fastened  together  by  a  great  wooden  yoke  (show 


256  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

picture) ,  were  slowly  treading  out  the  corn,  walking  round 
and  round  in  a  circle.  Meanwhile  Areuna  had  caught 
sight  of  the  king,  and  at  once  came  to  meet  him.  He 
bowed  before  David  with  his  face  to  the  ground,  saying: 
"  Wherefore  is  my  lord  the  king  come  to  his  servant  ?'* 
"  To  buy  the  threshing-floor  of  thee,"  David  answered, 
*'  and  build  an  altar  to  the  Lord,  that  the  plague,  which 
rageth  among  the  people,  may  cease."  "  Take  it  all," 
said  Areuna  eagerly;  "here  are  the  oxen  for  a  sacrifice, 
and  the  waggon  and  yoke  for  wood."  But  David  could 
not  accept  his  princely  generosity.  "  I  must  buy  every- 
thing," he  said.  "  I  cannot  offer  unto  the  Lord  my  God 
that  which  doth  cost  me  nothing."  So  David  bought  the 
piece  of  ground  and  the  oxen  and  the  farm  implements 
for  much  money,  and  he  built  there  an  altar  to  the  Lord, 
and  offered  sacrifices  and  prayed  earnestly;  and  the  Lord 
heard  his  prayers  and  the  plague  was  stayed  and  no  more 
people  died. 

Association. — Let  the  class  notice  that  David  felt  con- 
trition, made  confession,  and  practised  amendment.  Let 
them  recall  other  instances — e.g.,  Zacheus  and  the  Prodigal 
Son.  Help  them  to  see  that  this  is  God's  rule  for  those 
who  have  sinned. 

Application. — Ask  if  any  of  us  are  ever  in  David's  case, 
and  if  so,  what  must  we  do.  Explain  that  God  knows 
how  inclined  we  are  to  do  wrong,  and  so  the  third  com- 
mandment of  the  Church  is  that  we  must  go  to  confession 
at  least  once  a  year.  Explain  that  God  makes  very  light 
and  few  rules  for  us,  but,  of  course,  He  expects  us  to  make 
our  confession  whenever  we  have  done  wrong,  instantly, 
as  David  did. 

Memory  Work.— Cat.  240. 

Expression  Work. — Write  or  draw  the  story 

Copy  the  oxen  and  yoke. 


THE  TEN  COMMANDMENTS  257 

81.— Lesson  Subject :  Daniel  and  the  Rule  of 
Prayer. 

Reference. — Daniel  vi. 

Apparatus. — A  picture  of  Darius,  seal  in  the  British 
Museum  (Case  B),  and  of  Daniel  in  the  lion's  den,  preferably 
Briton  Riviere's.  A  lump  of  clay  or  plasticine,  and  some 
kind  of  seal. 

Aim. — To  show  how  Daniel  kept  the  rule  of  Prayer. 

Introduction. — A  few  questions  on  Daniel  and  his  three 
friends. 

Presentation :  1.  Daniel  in  Prosperity. — King  Nabu- 
chodonosor  was  a  friend* to  Daniel  all  his  life,  he  admired 
and  respected  him  so  much.  At  last  he  died,  and  his  son 
Baltassar  reigned  in  his  stead,  and  he  also  admired  and 
respected  Daniel.  Then  a  warrior-king  from  Persia  came 
and  conquered  Baltassar  and  took  his  throne  and  country, 
and  he  too  saw  at  once  that  Daniel  was  a  good  and  clever 
man,  and  so  he  gave  him  a  post  of  great  honour  in  fhe 
kingdoim,  and  intended  to  make  him  the  chief  man  in  the 
whole  country.  But  this  made  the  other  princes  very 
jealous;  they  did  not  like  Daniel  being  set  over  them,  and 
they  tried  to  think  of  some  way  of  getting  him  into  trouble. 
At  first  they  could  think  of  none,  for  Daniel  did  his  work 
so  splendidly,  and  served  Kang  Darius  so  well,  that  it  was 
useless  to  tcU  tales  about  him.  At  last  they  said  to  them- 
selves: "We  shall  never  get  Daniel  into  trouble  unless 
we  can  get  the  king  to  ask  him  to  break  his  rules  about 
serving  his  God;  he'U  never  do  that."  Then  they  tried 
to  think  of  a  plan.  Now  one  of  Daniel's  rules,  which  he 
kept  most  strictly,  was  to  pray  at  his  open  window  three 
times  a  day,  looking  towards  Jerusalem  where  was  God's 
holy  Temple.  It  was  the  nearest  that  he  could  come  to 
God's  House,  for  which  he  hungered  in  this  heathen  land. 

2.  Daniel  in  Adversity. — This  habit  of  Daniel  gave  his 
enemies  an  idea.  They  went  to  Darius  and  said:  "  0  king, 
live   for   ever.     We,    thy   servants   who  love  thee,   have 

17 


258  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

thought  of  a  way  to  do  thee  honour.  We  beg  thee  to 
make  a  law  that  no  one  is  to  ask  anything  of  God  or  man 
for  thirty  days,  except  only  thee,  O  king;  and  whoever 
breaks  this  law  shall  be  cast  into  a  den  of  lions." 

Darius  thought  it  a  matter  of  little  importance:  no 
Persian  or  Babylonian  cared  much  whether  he  prayed  or 
no,  and  it  was  quite  customary  to  treat  kings  as  if  they 
were  gods,  their  subjects  were  very  respectful  to  them,  for 
they  could  have  them  killed  at  any  moment.  So  Darius 
signed  the  decree,  and  it  became  part  of  the  law  of  the 
Medes  and  Persians,  which  could  never  be  altered.  And 
Daniel's  enemies  rejoiced  greatly;  they  knew  very  well 
what  they  might  expect  of  him.  (Let  the  class  discuss 
what  Daniel  would  do.) 

Presently  Daniel  heard  of  the  decree,  but,  of  course,  he 
made  no  difference  in  his  behaviour.  His  open  window 
was  his  nearest  approach  to  God's  House,  and  of  course 
he  would  not  pray  elsewhere  for  fear  of  danger  to  himself. 
He  prayed  there  three  times  a  day  as  usual. 

Then  the  princes  went  to  Darius  and  said:  "  Hast  thou 
not  made  a  law  that  no  one  must  pray  except  to  thee, 
0  king,  for  thirty  days  ?"  "  Yes,  I  did  make  that  law," 
Darius  admitted.  Then  they  said:  "This  Daniel,  this 
Hebrew  Hving  among  us,  pays  no  attention  to  thy  law, 
O  king,  but  goes  on  praying  to  his  God  three  times  a  day, 
just  the  same." 

Then  Darius  saw  the  whole  plot,  and  he  was  filled  with 
rage  and  grief  to  see  how  he  had  been  tricked  by  these 
cunning  men.  He  tried  hard  all  day  to  think  of  a  way 
to  save  Daniel,  but  there  was  no  way,  for  when  once  the 
king  had  signed  a  decree  it  could  not  be  altered,  as  those 
princes  took  care  to  remind  him.  Then  the  king  sent  for 
Daniel  and  said:  "Thy  God,  Whom  thou  servest  con- 
tinually. He  will  deliver  thee  " — for  that  was  Darius'  only 
hope.  So  Daniel  was  thrown  into  the  pit  where  the  lions 
were  kept,  and  a  heavy  stone  was  laid  on  the  mouth  of 
the  den,  and  a  lump  of  wet  clay  put  on  where  the  stone 


THE  TEN  COMMANDMENTS  259 

and  the  wall  met,  and  sealed  with  the  king's  seal  (show 
picture)  and  the  seal  of  the  wicked  princes,  so  that  no 
one  dare  break  the  seal  and  let  Daniel  out.  (Show  method 
of  sealing.)  Then  the  king  went  sadly  home  to  his  palace. 
How  he  wished  that  he  had  never  made  that  silly  law  ! 
Of  course  a  man  like  Daniel  would  rather  die  than  break 
God's  rules.  Perhaps  his  God  might  save  him,  after  all, 
but  it  seemed  too  much  to  expect,  for  the  lions  were  hungry 
and  fierce.  Darius  could  neither  eat  nor  sleep  that  night, 
and  he  could  not  bear  the  music  and  dancing  which  usually 
entertained  him  when  sleepless.  He  spent  the  hours  in 
torment. 

3.  Daniel's  Deliverance. — Read  or  paraphrase  verses 
19-23  and  show  a  picture  of  Daniel's  answer  to  the  king. 

Then  Darius  knew  for  certain,  what  Daniel  had  known 
all  along,  that  God  takes  care  of  those  who  serve  Him  and 
obey  His  rules.     Read  to  the  class  verses  24-27. 

Association. — Let  the  class  discuss  Daniel's  love  of 
prayer  and  his  desire  to  get  as  near  to  God  as  possible. 
Let  them  think  how  he  would  have  valued  Christian 
privileges,  and  imagine  with  what  joy  he  must  have 
welcomed  our  Lord  when  He  descended  into  Limbo,  and 
how  eager  he  would  be  to  hear  about  Christ's  new  creation, 
the  CathoHc  Church. 

Application. — Lead  the  class  to  see  how  much  we  ought 
to  value  our  privileges,  especially  when  we  know  how 
Daniel  valued  his,  which  were  so  much  less.  Ask  what 
is  our  greatest  privilege  (Holy  Communion).  One  would 
think  that  no  one  need  be  told  to  come,  but  God  leaves 
nothing  to  chance,  and  yet  He  makes  His  rules  as  light 
as  possible,  thinking  of  those  people  who  may  find  it  hard 
to  keep  them  under  difficult  circumstances.  So  the  fourth 
rule  of  the  Church  is  that  "  we  must  receive  the  Blessed 
Sacrament  at  least  once  a  year,  about  Easter  time." 

Memory  Work.— Cat.  243. 

Expression  Work.— Write  or  draw  the  story. 

Model  the  seal. 


260  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

82.— Lesson  Subject :  The  Widow's  Mite  and 
the  Rule  of  Almsgiving. 

References. — St.  Mark  xii.  41-44 ;  St.  Luke  xxi.  1-4. 

Apparatus. — A  picture  of  the  widow  giving  her  alms, 
a  photograph  of  a  Gothic  cathedral. 

Aim. — To  show  that  almsgiving  is  one  of  God's  rules, 
and  that  the  value  of  the  gift  is  in  the  love  of  the  giver. 

Introduction. — A  few  questions  on  the  almsboxes  in 
church,  and  the  purpose  of  each. 

Presentation  :  The  Widow's  Mite. — The  almsboxes  in 
the  Temple  at  Jerusalem  were  shaped  like  trumpets,  they 
each  bore  the  name  of  some  charitable  object,  just  as  ours 
do,  and  they  stood  in  the  covered  walks  which  ran  round 
the  Court  of  the  Women.  This  part  of  the  Temple  was 
called  the  Treasury. 

One  day  the  Lord  Jesus  came  into  the  Court  of  the 
Women  and  sat  down  near  the  Treasury.  Many  people 
were  there,  going  up  to  one  or  other  of  the  trumpets  (there 
were  thirteen  of  them)  and  pouring  in  their  gifts.  Some 
of  the  rich  people  gave  a  great  deal,  and  took  care  that 
their  gifts  should  be  seen. 

Among  the  crowd  of  richly  dressed  people  our  Lord  saw 
a  poor  woman.  He  could  see  that  she  was  a  widow  by 
her  dress,  and  evidently  very  poor  indeed.  She  went 
quietly  up  to  a  trumpet  almsbox  and  dropped  in  two  tiny 
coins,  six  of  which  are  only  equal  to  one  of  our  farthings. 
It  was  the  smallest  gift  which  might  be  given  to  the  Temple. 
Quietly  as  she  put  in  her  gift,  and  tiny  as  it  was,  the  Lord 
knew  all  about  it.  He  turned  to  His  disciples  and  said: 
"  This  poor  widow  has  put  more  into  the  Treasury  than 
all  those  rich  people,  for  they  gave  what  they  could  well 
spare,  but  she  gave  all  that  she  has  in  the  world— all  her 
living  for  the  day." 

Let  the  class  read  St.  Mark  xii.  41-44,  and  discuss  the 
story,  especially  the  relative  value  of  the  gifts  and  why 
valuable.     Tell  elder  children  that  the  coins  were  perutahs, 


THE  TEN  COMMANDMENTS  261 

and  that  two  perutahs  made  a  quadraiis,  and  ninety-six 
quadrans  made  a  denar,  which  was  worth  about  seven- 
pence. 

Illustration. — (See  The  Child's  Book  of  Saints.) 

Bishop  Evrard  stood  looking  at  the  beautiful  cathedral 
which  he  had  built  (show  picture).  It  was  almost  finished, 
and  his  heart  was  filled  with  pride  and  joy.  "  Surely  in 
all  the  world,"  he  thought,  "  there  is  no  more  beautiful 
house  of  God  than  this  which  I  have  built  with  such  great 
outlay  of  time  and  money."  In  the  glorious  west  front 
there  were  many  statues  of  kings  and  queens  with  crowns 
and  sceptres,  but  the  niche  over  the  great  doorway  was 
empty,  for  the  Bishop  meant  to  put  there  a  statue  of  him- 
self, that  in  after  ages  people  might  remember  him  as  the 
builder  of  the  cathedral. 

That  night  the  Bishop  had  a  strange  dream.  A  mighty 
angel  came  to  his  bedside  and  bade  him  rise  and  follow. 
''  Come,"  he  said,  "  and  I  will  show  you  some  of  those 
who  have  helped  to  build  the  cathedral,  and  who  in  God's 
sight  have  helped  more  towards  it  than  you."  Then  the 
angel  led  him  past  the  cathedral  and  down  the  steep  streets 
into  the  country  roads  beyond  the  town. 

Out  in  the  fields,  on  the  rough  road,  stood  two  great 
white  oxen  harnessed  to  a  huge  block  of  stone;  they  were 
dragging  it  up  to  the  cathedral  to  be  used  in  the  building, 
and  were  resting  before  starting  on  the  long,  steep  hill. 
"  Look,"  said  the  angel,  and  the  Bishop  saw  a  Httle  blue- 
winged  bird  which  perched  on  the  yoke  of  the  oxen  and 
sang  such  a  sweet  song  that  it  soothed  them,  and  they 
ceased  to  blow  stormily  through  theii'  nostrils  and  drew 
long,  quiet  breaths  instead. 

"  Look  again,"  said  the  angel,  and  the  Bishop  saw  a 
little  girl  come  out  from  a  hut  by  the  roadside  with  a 
bundle  of  hay  in  her  arms;  she  came  to  the  oxen  and  fed 
them  in  turn  with  her  hay,  then  she  softly  stroked  their 
black  noses  and  laid  her  face  against  their  white  cheeks. 
Presently  the  driver  got  up  and  called  to  his  cattle,  and 


262  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

the  great  beasts,  rested  now,  strained  against  the  traces, 
and  the  big  block  of  stone  moved  on. 

Then  the  Bishop  understood  that  these  who  worked 
for  love  and  not  for  reward  were  more  pleasing  to  God 
than  himseK,  and  he  sorrowed  for  his  sin  and  pride  and 
selfishness,  and  his  tears  awoke  him.  Next  morning  he 
sent  for  the  chief  sculptor  and  ordered  that  a  statue  of  a 
little  child  bearing  wisps  of  hay  should  be  put  in  the  niche 
reserved  for  himself,  and  that  two  great  stone  oxen  should 
be  put  on  the  cathedral  tgwer.  And  he  ordered  that  he 
himself,  when  he  died,  should  be  buried  before  the  church 
door,  beneath  the  feet  of  those  who  came  to  worship  God. 

Association. — Let  the  class  compare  the  little  child's 
offering  with  that  of  the  poor  widow,  leading  them  to  see 
that  God  values  a  gift  by  the  love  of  the  giver.  Then 
compare  with  David  and  his  purchase  of  the  threshing- 
floor,  bringing  out  that  a  gift  must  cost  us  something  to 
be  of  value. 

Application. — Let  the  class  tell  how  we  can  nowadays 
give  gifts  to  God's  house,  help  to  build  His  sanctuaries, 
offer  sacrifices  Hke  David — e.g.,  by  giving  alms  to  His 
Church,  helping  to  support  His  priests,  etc. 

Memory  Work.— Cat.  245,  200. 

Expression  Work.— Describe  the  sort  of  gift  which  God 
values. 

Write  or  draw  one  of  the  stories. 

Work  out  the  value  of  a  perutah. 

83.— Lesson  Subject :  6.  Tobias  and  the  Rules 
for  Marriage. 
Reference. — Tobias  iii.-xii. 

Aim. — To  show  that  God  has  rules  for  marriage. 
Introduction. — Ask  the  class  what  it  means  when  they 
see  carriages  driving  through  the  streets  with  white  favours 
on  the  horses  and  whips.  Question  on  any  wedding  they 
have  seen.  Explain  how  serious  a  matter  marriage  is: 
almost  like  the  creation  of  another  Adam  and  Eve — i.e., 


THE  TEN  COMMANDMENTS  263 

another  hoyne  begun,  another  family  made.  Remind  the 
class  of  God's  care  in  preparing  everything  so  beautifully 
for  Adam  and  Eve.  Ask  if  they  think  that  He  has  rules 
for  marriage,  or  if  people  can  do  just  as  they  Hke  about  it. 
Say  the  lesson  will  show. 

Presentation  :  1.  Sara's  Troubles. — Sara  was  very  troubled. 
One  of  the  maids  was  very  careless  and  had  neglected  her 
work  shamefully.  Sara  reproved  her  sharply,  and  to  her 
horror  the  maid  turned  on  her  and  said  insolently:  "  What 
right  have  you  to  reprove  me,  you  murderer  of  your 
husbands  ?  Perhaps  you  will  try  to  kill  me  also  as  you 
have  already  killed  seven  men  ?"  And  Sara  felt  quite 
crushed  by  the  maid's  insolence,  and  she  went  up  to  her 
room  and  stayed  there  for  three  days  and  nights  without 
touching  food,  for  the,  worst  of  it  was  that  what  the  maid 
said  was  true,  or  almost  true.  Sara,  who  was  very  beauti- 
ful, had  been  married  seven  times,  and  on  her  marriage 
night  a  devil  killed  her  husband.  It  was  terrible  for  Sara 
and  for  her  father  and  mother.  They  all  felt  that  she 
must  never  marry  again.  There,  in  her  quiet  room,  Sara 
told  all  her  troubles  to  God,  and  trusted  that  He  would 
help  her  Who  alone  could. 

2.  Sara's  Knight. — Far  away  from  Sara's  home  an  old 
man,  Tobias,  was  asking  God's  help  also.  So  many 
troubles  had  come  upon  him  that  he  prayed  for  death, 
f eehng  that  there  was  no  more  happiness  for  him  on  earth. 
He  thought  that  God  was  about  to  answer  his  prayer, 
and  so  he  wanted  to  make  provision  for  his  wife  and  son, 
the  young  Tobias;  then  he  suddenly  remembered  that  a 
sum  of  money  was  owing  to  him,  and  he  determined  to 
send  his  son  to  fetch  it,  for  he  himself  was  bhnd.  So  he 
called  his  son  and  gave  him  directions  for  the  journey, 
for  he  had  a  long  way  to  go,  and  therefore  he  told  him  to 
find  a  guide.  Then  the  young  Tobias  went  out  to  look 
for  a  guide,  and  he  found  a  splendidly  handsome  young 
man,  ready  dressed  for  travel,  and  he  talked  with  him 
and  found  that  he  knew  the  way  to  the  town  of  Rages 


264  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

in  Ecbatana.  So  Tobias  brought  him  to  his  father,  and 
it  was  arranged  that  they  should  go  together.  The  guide 
gave  his  name  as  Azarias. 

So  Tobias  and  his  guide  and  his  dog  started  on  their 
journey,  and  at  night  they  reached  the  banks  of  the  Tigris, 
and  there  they  camped.  Tobias  went  down  to  bathe  in  the 
river,  and  as  he  stepped  in  a  huge  fish  leapt  at  him  with 
gnashing  jaws.  Tobias  had  never  seen  its  like,  and  he 
cried  in  terror:  "  Sir,  he  cometh  upon  me  !"  "  Catch  him 
by  the  gills  !"  called  the  guide,  and  Tobias  did  so  and 
flung  it  on  the  bank,  where  it  lay  gasping.  Then  the 
guide  directed  him  to  remove  the  entrails  of  the  fish  and 
save  the  heart  and  gall  and  liver,  for  they  were  valuable 
medicines;  and  they  roasted  the  fish  and  feasted  upon  it, 
and  salted  down  the  rest  for  provision  on  the  journey. 
"  Of  what  use  are  the  entrails  ?"  asked  Tobias.  "  If  you 
put  a  piece  of  them  upon  hot  coals  the  smoke  will  drive 
away  all  kinds  of  devils,"  answered  the  guide,  "  and  the 
gall  is  good  for  anointing  the  eyes." 

As  they  drew  near  to  Rages  Tobias  asked  where  they 
should  lodge.  "  In  Raguel's  house,"  answered  the  guide; 
"he  is  a  relative  of  yours,  and  it  is  really  your  duty  to 
marry  his  daughter  Sara."  "  I  should  be  afraid  to  do 
that,"  Tobias  answered,  "for  I  have  heard  that  she  has 
had  seven  husbands  already,  and  they  all  died.  A  devil 
kills  them,  they  say."  "  This  is  why  the  devil  kills  them," 
the  guide  explained.  "  They  think  only  about  themselves, 
and  pay  no  attention  to  God's  rules  for  marriage.  Marriage 
is  not  an  affair  in  which  you  simply  please  yourself.  If 
you  obey  God's  rules  you  will  be  quite  safe."  And  he 
told  Tobias  exactly  what  to  do. 

3.  The  Marriage  of  Sara  and  Tobias.— ^Raguel  received 
them  with  deUght;  he  was  very  hospitable,  and  the  sight 
of  guests  cheered  him  up  and  took  his  mind  from  his  trouble 
about  Sara.  As  he  looked  at  Tobias  he  turned  to  his  wife 
and  remarked:  "  How  like  my  cousin  is  this  young  man." 
Then  he  asked  where  they  came  from,  and  his  joy  was 


THE  TEN  COMMANDMENTS  265 

very  great  when  he  learnt  that  Tobias  was  actually  the 
son  of  his  cousin.  Raguel  prepared  a  great  feast,  but 
Tobias  said  he  had  a  request  to  make  before  he  could  eat 
or  drinlv :  might  he  marry  Sara  ?  Raguel  did  not  know 
what  to  say;  he  would  like  Tobias  to  marry  her,  but  he 
was  afraid  that  he  might  go  the  way  of  the  other  seven. 
As  he  hesitated,  the  guide  said:  "  Be  not  afraid  to  give  her 
to  this  man,  for  to  him  who  feareth  God  is  thy  daughter 
due  to  be  his  wife:  therefore  another  could  not  have  her." 
Continue  in  the  words  of  Tobias  vii.  13-17. 

4.  Sara  and  Tobias  keep  God*s  Rules.— Then  Sara's 
mother  prepared  the  bridal  chamber,  and  brought  her 
daughter  there,  and  kissed  her,  and  left  her,  weeping. 
Soon  after  Tobias  went  up  too,  leaving  the  old  people  in 
great  anxiety. 

There  was  a  brazier  of  hot  coals  in  the  room,  to  warm 
it,  and  first  of  all  Tobias  laid  a  piece  of  the  fish's  liver 
upon  it.  He  knew  that  the  smoke  would  drive  away  the 
devil.  Then  he  and  Sara  arose  and  prayed  earnestly 
together  that  they  might  be  God's  true  servants  and  that 
He  would  bless  their  marriage,  as  He  had  blessed  Adam 
and  Eve.     Then  they  both  lay  down  and  slept. 

In  the  cold  early  dawn  poor  old  Raguel  called  his 
servants  and  crept  down  with  them  to  the  garden  and 
digged  a  grave;  he  expected  to  find  Tobias  dead.  Then 
he  went  back  to  his  wife  and  (use  words  of  viii. 
14-16). 

So  Tobias  returned  to  his  old  blind  father,  not  only  with 
the  money  for  which  he  had  been  sent,  and  which  the 
guide  fetched  for  him  while  he  was  on  his  honeymoon, 
but  also  with  a  rich  and  beautiful  wife.  And  following 
the  guide's  advice  he  anointed  his  father's  eyes  with  the 
gall  of  the  fish,  and  his  sight  was  restored.  Then  Tobias 
and  his  father  called  the  guide  and  offered  him  the  half 
of  their  fortune,  because  it  was  through  his  wisdom  and 
kindness  that  it  had  come  to  them;  but  he  refused  it, 
explaining  gently  that  he  was  no  other  than  the  angel 


266  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

Raphael  who  had  been  sent  by  God  to  help  them  in  answer 
to  the  prayers  of  Sara  and  Tobias. 

Association. — Let  the  class  repeat  the  Third  Command- 
ment; and  then  ask  for  the  six  rules  by  which  the  Church 
explains  it — i.e.,  we  shall  keep  Sunday  holy  if  we  (1)  hear 
Mass  and  do  no  unnecessary  work,  having  prepared  for 
Sunday  by  (2)  fasting  or  abstinence,  and  (3)  confession, 
and  taking  the  opportunity  of  (4)  receiving  the  Blessed 
Sacrament,  and  (5)  contributing  to  the  support  of  our 
pastors;  and  (6)  the  married  will  also  keep  Sunday  holy 
by  putting  God  first. 

Memory  Work.— Cat.  229. 

Expression  Work. — Write  or  draw  one  or  more  incidents 
in  the  story  of  Tobias. 

FOURTH  COMMANDMENT  :  TO  BE  DUTIFUL  TO  THOSE  IN 
AUTHORITY. 

Teacher's  Thought.—"  Honour  all  men"  (1  Pet.  U.  17). 

84.— Lesson  Subject :  David  as  a  Dutiful  Son. 

References.— 1  Kings  xvii.  12-16,  34,  35;  Ps.  xxii. 

Apparatus. — A  picture  of  David  as  a  shepherd,  and 
models  of  a  sheepfold  and  a  sling. 

Aim. — To  show  David  as  a  dutiful  son. 

Introduction. — Question  the  class  on  what  they  know 
of  David. 

Presentation  :  1.  How  David  helped  his  Father. — We 
are  going  to  see  what  David  did  as  a  boy :  folks  in  Palestine 
live  much  the  same  now  as  they  did  then,  they  even  dress 
the  same,  so  we  have  a  very  good  idea  of  David's  daily  life. 

Tell  how  he  lived  with  his  old  father  Jesse  at  Bethlehem. 
His  three  big  brothers  were  in  the  army — probably  David 
longed  to  go  too,  but  there  was  no  one  else  to  keep  the 
sheep,  and  sheep  were  probably  the  larger  part  of  Jesse's 
wealth.  Show  a  picture  or  model  of  a  sHng,  tell  how  it 
answers  the  purpose  of   a  dog,  which  is  never  used  in 


THE  TEN  COMMANDMENTS  267 

the  East;  the  shepherd  shngs  a  stone  in  front  of  a  sheep 
and  so  turns  it;  by  this  means  he  can  stop  runaway  sheep 
and  kill  wild  beasts.  Eastern  shepherds  become  very 
skilled  in  the  use  of  the  sling  as  a  weapon  of  defence. 

2.  A  Day  in  David's  Life. — Show  a  model  of  an  Eastern 
sheepfold.  This  is  an  open  yard  with  a  shelter  at  one 
end.  It  is  built  of  stones  loosely  piled  together  (like  our 
North  Country  walls),  with  branches  of  thorn  bushes  on 
the  top  to  keap  off  wild  beasts.  There  is  only  one  door 
(St.  John  X.  1).     Similar  sheepfolds  are  used  in  Wales. 

Tell  how  the  shepherd  and  his  sheep  spent  the  night  in 
the  fold,  which  formed  a  protection  against  wild  beasts. 
In  the  morning  the  shepherd  called  his  sheep  to  follow  him, 
and  led  them  out  in  search  of  pasturage,  for  there  are  no 
fenced  fields  in  Palestine.  Picture  David  leading  out  his 
sheep.  It  was  very  necessary  that  he  should  go  before 
them,  for  there  were  dangers  everywhere;  the  very  paths 
might  be  unsafe;  some  led  to  steep  chffs  over  which  the 
sheep  might  fall,  some  to  difficult  places  from  which  they 
could  never  find  their  way  back,  so  David  had  to  know 
the  country  well.  Then,  the  sheep  might  not  eat  till  he 
had  thoroughly  examined  the  ground,  for  in  some  parts 
there  were  poisonous  weeds  among  the  grass;  he  probably 
looked  over  the  feeding-places  when  the  sheep  were  folded 
for  the  night.  Sometimes  in  a  good  patch  of  grass  David 
would  find  small  holes,  he  knew  what  that  meant — vipers ; 
and  if  they  were  not  driven  off  they  would  bite  the  sheep's 
noses  and  kill  them.  So  he  would  take  some  fat  and  put 
it  in  the  holes  and  set  light  to  it,  and  the  smell  would 
drive  away  the  snakes. 

Sometimes  the  best  feeding-ground  was  close  up  under 
the  rocks,  and  in  those  rocks  were  caves  where  jackals? 
wolves,  hyenas,  and  even  tigers  and  lions  lived,  which 
would  spring  out  upon  the  grazing  sheep  if  something 
were  not  done  to  prevent  them.  David  would  go  up  all 
alone  to  these  dens  and  roll  huge  stones  to  the  mouths 
of  them  so  that  the  wild  beasts  could  not  get  out.     And 


268  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

if  he  encountered  one  he  would  tackle  it  with  his  long 
knife.  He  carried  a  stout  stick  or  club  with  him,  too — his 
"rod  " — as  well  as  his  "  staff,"  or  crook,  and  with  this  he 
not  infrequently  killed  a  wild  beast  if  it  attacked  his  flock. 
Then  the  sheep  needed  water  as  well  as  food,  and  that 
meant  more  care.  From  April  onwards  there  is  no  fain 
until  the  autumn,  and  so  the  water  is  carefully  stored  in 
wells  with  a  big  stone  on  the  top ;  and  there  the  shepherd 
must  lead  his  sheep  to  water  them.  Bu*  in  the  rainy 
season  the  brooks  are  flooded  and  the  streams  are  very 
swift,  and  the  sheep  are  in  frequent  danger  of  being 
drowned.  In  the  heat  of  the  day,  as  the  flock  rested  by 
the  well,  David  would  take  out  his  harp  and  sing  to  it. 
(Ask  the  class  what  he  would  sing.) 

Sometimes  David  would  be  obliged  to  lead  his  sheep 
through  some  dark,  gloomy  valley,  where  robbers  or  wild 
beasts  might  be  lurking,  and  then  he  would  call  "  Ta-a-a-a, 
ho-o-o,"  and  the  sheep  would  hurry  to  him  and  keep  close 
beside  him  until  the  danger  was  past. 

Then  at  the  end  of  the  day  David  would  lead  his  sheep 
to  the  fold,  and  then  comes  the  "  roddmg  of  the  sheep." 
The  shepherd  stands  at  the  door  of  the  fold  so  that  a 
sheep  can  only  pass  him  when  he  half  turns  to  let  it  in 
(St.  John  X.  7).  As  he  does  so  he  stops  it  with  his  rod 
and  examines  it  all  over ;  he  has  a  horn  filled  with  oh ve  oil 
and  a  flask  of  cedar  tar,  and  when  he  finds  a  bruised  knee 
or  a  scratched  side  he  anoints  it  with  the  tar,  and  when 
he  finds  a  sheep  utterly  tired  out  he  bathes  its  face  with 
oil,  and  dips  his  big  two-handled  cup  into  water  and  gives 
it  to  drink.  So  he  tends  each  one  carefully,  folds  them 
for  the  night,  and,  wrapped  in  his  shepherd's  cloak,  sleeps 
with  his  flock  till  mormng. 

3.  How  David  saved  his  Father's  Sheep.— One  day  when 
David  was  keeping  the  sheep  he  saw  a  sudden  movement 
among  them  as  if  they  were  all  terrified,  and  hurrying  up 
he  found  a  Hon  making  off  with  a  lamb  in  his  mouth. 
David  could  not  let  one  of  his  father's  sheep  be  lost,  so 


THE  TEN  COMMANDMENTS  269 

he  rushed  straight  at  the  lion,  hit  him  on  the  head,  and 
took  the  lamb  out  of  his  mouth.  The  lion  was  so  surprised 
at  the  suddenness  of  the  attack  that  he  let  go,  but  the 
next  instant,  finding  that  he  had  lost  his  prey,  he  turned 
savagely  on  David.  But  David  caught  him  by  the  long 
hair  on  his  chin,  so  that  he  could  not  seize  him  in  his  jaws, 
and  then  gave  him  another  blow  with  his  heavy  club  and 
killed  him. 

On  another  day  a  bear  stole  a  lamb,  and  David  went 
after  that  and  killed  it  as  he  had  done  the  lion. 

Association. — Ask  the  class  if  they  know  a  psalm  which 
tells  about  the  shepherd's  life.  Let  them  find  and  read 
Ps.  xxii.     Explain  that  David  wrote  it. 

Memory  Work.— Cat.  196,  197,  199. 

Expression  Work. — Write :  how  David  helped  his  father. 

Write  or  draw  his  adventures  as  a  shepherd. 

Draw  or  model  one  of  the  models. 

85.— Lesson  Subject :  David  as  a  Dutiful  Servant 
of  the  King. 

References. — 1  Kings  xvii.  17  to  xviii.  1-16. 

Apparatus. — A  picture  of  David  and  GoUath,  and  of 
the  soldier  at  Pompeii. 

Aim. — To  show  David  as  a  dutiful  subject. 

Introduction. — Question  on  whom  David  served  in  the 
last  lesson.  Show  a  picture  of  the  fight  with  GoHath  and 
ask  whom  he  served  then.  If  well  known  to  the  children 
let  them  tell  the  story,  and  discuss  it,  showing  that  David 
was  fighting  for  his  God,  his  king,  and  his  country.  If 
not  well  known  to  the  children  make  this  Presentation  1. 

Presentation  :  1.  David  serves  as  a  Courtier. — When  Saul 
saw  David  go  forth  to  fight  Goliath  he  asked  Abner  his 
captain:  "  Whose  son  is  that  youth  ?"  And  Abner  replied, 
"  I  cannot  tell,  O  king."  So  when  David  returned  from 
slaying  GoHath  Abner  took  him  to  the  king,  and  Saul 
asked:  "Whose  son  art  thou?"  And  David  answered, 
"  1  am  the  son  of  thy  servant  Jesse  of  Bethlehem."     And 


270  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

whilst  he  stood  there,  so  gallant  and  so  tall,  Jonathan  the 
prince  looked  at  him  and  loved  him,  and  they  became  the 
closest  friends.  Saul  wished  him  to  remain  at  the  palace 
as  a  courtier;  and  Jonathan  took  David  and  clothed  him 
in  his  own  court  robe,  complete  with  sword  and  bow  and 
girdle,  and  they  swore  to  be  true  friends  always. 

Now  Saul  sometimes  suffered  from  a  strange  illness 
which  made  him  silent  and  sad,  and  when  this  came  upon 
him  nothing  did  him  any  good  but  the  sound  of  David's 
harp.  So  whenever  the  king  felt  ill  he  sent  for  David, 
who  played  and  sang  to  him  until  the  sad  mood  passed 
away.  But  here  in  the  court  David  was  in  far  greater 
danger  than  when  he  fought  with  the  lions  and  bears  of 
his  shepherd  days,  for  when  Saul  was  in  this  strange  mood 
he  often  felt  a  furious  hatred  of  David  and  would  fling  a 
spear  or  javehn  at  him  as  he  played,  meaning  to  kill  him. 
In  spite  of  this  David  remained  at  court,  and  played 
whenever  Saul  had  need  of  him ;  and  God  guarded  David  so 
that  the  spear  always  missed  him. 

2.  David  serves  as  a  Soldier. — All  this  time,  too,  David 
served  his  king  as  a  soldier.  He  became  a  captain  in  the 
army  and  led  his  men  to  battle  against  the  Philistines. 
He  loved  that,  for  not  only  was  he  fighting  the  king's 
enemies,  but  he  was  fighting  God's  enemies  as  well.  He 
was  a  splendid  soldier  and  won  many  battles.  When  he 
returned  home  after  a  victory  the  women  would  go  out 
to  meet  him,  singing : 

Saul  hath  slain  his  thousands. 
And  David  his  ten  thousands  ! 

But  this  made  Saul  more  and  more  angry.  He  meant 
to  kill  David  one  day;  yet  David  would  not  leave  the 
court  and  go  home  to  Bethlehem  or  away  to  another 
country,  though  he  knew  his  danger  full  well;  but  as  long 
as  his  king  needed  him  he  felt  it  his  duty  to  serve  him, 
and  this  he  continued  to  do,  in  the  camp  and  in  the  court. 

Dlustration. — Show  a  picture  of  the  soldier  at  Pompeu, 
or  describe  it. 


THE  TEN  COMMANDMENTS  271 

This  soldier  was  on  guard  one  night  when  he  suddenly 
heard  a  dreadful  sound.  He  knew  well  what  it  meant. 
The  ground  shook  beneath  him,  the  houses  began  to  rock 
and  fall,  hot  clouds  of  ashes  fell  around  him,  and  people 
ran  for  their  lives;  for  the  neighbouring  mountain,  Vesu- 
vius, was  sending  up  fire  and  molten  rock  from  its  burning 
centre,  and  this  was  pouring  down  in  a  river  of  fire  on 
the  town  where  the  soldier  stood  on  guard.  The  only 
chance  of  safety  lay  in  flight.  But  this  soldier  was  on 
guard,  and  it  was  his  duty  to  remain  there  until  his  com- 
manding officer  gave  him  leave  to  go;  but  that  officer 
never  came — he  was  probably  killed  or  in  flight,  and  so  the 
soldier  stayed  at  his  post  until  the  stream  of  molten  lava 
overwhelmed  him.  Hundreds  of  years  later,  when  Pompeii 
was  excavated,  his  body  was  found — on  guard. 

Association. — Let  the  class  recall  how  David  first  showed 
himself  a  dutiful  son  and  then  how  he  proved  himself  a 
dutiful  subject. 

Application. — Make  a  practical  application  of  duty  to 
parents,  or  patriotism,  according  to  circumstances. 

Memory  Work.— Cat.  198,  203. 

Expression  Work.— Describe  how  David  or  the  soldier 
at  Pompeu  showed  his  loyalty. 

Draw  one  of  the  incidents. 

Print  the  Fourth  Commandment. 


FIFTH  COMMANDMENT:  TO  BE  KIND  TO  OTHERS. 
Teacher's  Thought.—"  All  things  therefore  whatsoever 
you  would  that  men  should  do  to  you,  do  you  also  to 
them  "  (St.  Matt.  vii.  12). 

86.— Lesson  Subject :  David  as  a  Gallant  Enemy. 

References.— 1  Kings  xix.  1-10,  xx.,  xxii.  2,  xxiii.  15-28, 
xxiv.  xxvi. 

Apparatus.— A  picture  of  the  farewell  of  David  and 
Jonathan.     B.B.  coloured  chalks,  for  battle  plans. 


272  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

Aim. — To  show  the  generosity  and  nobility  of  David's 
character  so  that  the  class  may  wish  to  imitate  it. 

Introduction. — Question  on  David's  success  as  a  soldier 
and  Saul's  growing  hatred. 

Presentation  :  1.  David  leaves  Saul's  Court. — Let  the 
class  recall  the  women's  greeting  to  David  after  his  vic- 
tories; tell  how  Saul's  jealousy  at  last  reached  such  a 
pitch  that  he  openly  made  plans  to  kill  David  and  the 
latter  was  obliged  to  leave  the  court.  Describe  the  inci- 
dents of  chapter  xx.  vividly,  and  show  picture.  Tell  how 
David  sought  refuge  in  the  mountains  and  was  joined  there 
by  about  400  men. 

2.  David  pursued  by  Saul. — Tell  how  Saul  took  his  army 
and  went  to  hunt  for  David;  sometimes  he  nearly  caught 
him,  but  David  always  just  managed  to  escape.  One 
day,  however,  David  was  on  one  side  of  a  mountain  and 
Saul  on  the  other  (xxiii.  24-28) — draw  the  mountain  on 
the  B.B.  and  indicate  Ziph  and  Maon — and  he  would 
probably  have  been  captured  that  time  had  not  a  messenger 
come  in  haste  to  tell  Saul  that  the  Philistines  were  invading 
the  country  again,  so  Saul  had  to  leave  off  pursuing  David 
and  go  to  fight  the  Philistines. 

3.  David  spares  Saul's  Life  (First  Time).-^Tell  how  Saul 
at  once  continued  his  pursuit  of  David  when  he  had 
defeated  the  Philistines.  Narrate  the  incidents  of 
chapter  xxiv.  very  graphically.  Show  on  B.B.  the  posi- 
tions of  Saul  and  of  David  and  his  men  in  the  cave. 
Emphasise  the  generosity  of  David's  action.  Use  the 
Bible  words,  but  shorten  the  speeches. 

4.  David  spares  Saul's  LiJe  the  Second  Time. — Tell  how 
Saul  still  continued  his  pursuit  of  David,  hunting  him 
from  place  to  place  and  t?ying  his  best  to  kill  him.  Ques- 
tion as  to  what  David  may  be  expected  to  do  if  Saul  falls 
into  his  hands  again.  Narrate  the  incidents  of  chapter  xxvi. 
very  graphically,  shortening  the  speeches,  draw  the  posi- 
tions of  places  and  people  on  B.B. 

End  on  this  dramatic   note  unless  the   class  inquires 


THE  TEN  COMMANDMENTS  273 

what  hajjpened  at  last;  in  that  case  tell  briefly  that  Saul 
was  killed  in  battle  with  the  Philistines  and  David  became 
king. 

Association. — Let  the  class  discuss  the  lesson  and  say 
which  of  David's  actions  they  most  admire. 

Memory  Work.— Cat.  205,  206. 

Expression  Work.— Draw  one  of  the  incidents  of  the 
lesson. 

Write  the  finest  thing  which  David  did. 

Print  the  Fifth  Commandment. 

87.— Lesson  Subject :  Christ  with  His  Friends 
and  Enemies. 

References.— St.  Matt.  viii.  1-4;  St.  Mark  vi.  31-44; 
St.  Luke  xxii.  47-51,  xxiii.  33,  34,  x.  25-37. 

Apparatus. — Any  pictures  of  the  stories,  B.B.  sketches. 

Aim. — To  show  Christ's  kindness  to  all. 

Introduction. — A  few  questions  on  the  last  lesson,  bringing 
out  the  magnanimity  of  David's  actions. 

Presentation  :  1.  Christ  and  the  Leper. — To-day  we  will 
see  how  Christ  the  Son  of  David  treated  both  friends  and 
enemies.  (Draw  the  rough  outhne  of  an  Eastern  city  on 
B.B.,  with  cross-roads  in  the  foreground  and  a  few  palm- 
trees.)  Just  outside  this  town  there  sits  a  poor  man. 
He  is  suffering  from  a  dreadful  disease  and  is  quite  unable 
to  work,  so  he  sits  there  to  beg  help  from  passers-by. 
Presently  some  men  with  a  camel  come  out  of  the  town 
gate  (point  to  board),  but  when  they  see  the  man  they 
stop  as  if  frightened,  pulHng  up  the  camel  with  a  jerk, 
and  then  they  make  a  wide  circuit  round  the  beggar. 
He  knows  why.  He  is  a  leper,  and  no  one  will  come  near 
him  or  touch  him  lest  they  should  catch  his  dreadful 
disease,  which  no  doctor  can  cure.  So  all  through  the  day 
people  pass  at  a  distance  from  him,  the  more  charitable 
putting  food  or  money  for  him  to  fetch.  But  presently  he 
sees  several  men  walking  together;  they  have  kind  faces, 

18 


2U  VAYTR  AND  DUTY 

and  they  are  listening  intently  to  One  Who  walks  with 
them — a  Man  with  the  most  wonderful  and  beautiful  face 
that  the  poor  leper  has  ever  seen.  The  leper  knows  that 
it  must  be  the  Prophet,  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  and  so  he  runs 
to  Him  and  falls  down  at  His  feet  in  worship,  saying: 
"  Lord,  if  Thou  wilt.  Thou  canst  make  me  clean."  And 
though  the  Lord  knows  all  about  that  dreadful  disease. 
He  will  not  turn  away  from  the  poor  man,  but  putting 
forth  His  hand  He  touches  him,  saying:  "  1  will,  be  thou 
clean."     And  straightway  his  leprosy  was  cleansed. 

2.  Christ  and  the  Five  Thousand. — (Draw  Lake,  moun- 
tains, fishing-boat,  etc.)  The  Lord  Jesus  and  His  disciples 
had  been  working  hard  and  were  very  tired;  they  wanted 
to  rest  and  talk  quietly  together,  but  the  people  thronged 
around  them.  So  they  left  the  crowd  on  this  side  of  the 
Lake  and  sailed  across  to  the  other  side,  but  when  they 
arrived  there  were  the  people  all  waiting  for  them.  They 
had  hurried  round  the  Lake  on  foot,  guessing  where  they 
had  gone.     Let  the  class  tell  what  the  Lord  Jesus  did. 

3.  Christ  and  His  Enemies. — The  Lord  Jesus  is  waiting 
in  the  Garden  of  Gethsemane,  knowing  all  that  is  about  to 
happen.  Lights  shine  through  the  trees,  loud  voices  are 
heard,  and  the  high-priest's  servants  come  with  swords 
and  clubs  and  ropes  to  seize  the  Lord  Jesus  and  take  Him 
away. 

Judas,  one  of  His  own  disciples,  comes  up  and  kisses 
Him,  that  His  enemies  may  know  which  is  He ;  but  all  He 
says  is:  "Judas,  betrayest  thou  the  Son  of  man  with  a 
kiss  ?"  Then  the  servants  seize  Him  and  bind  His  hands; 
but  St.  Peter  draws  his  sword  and  strikes  one  of  them, 
cutting  off  his  ear,  and  the  Lord  Jesus  at  once  asks  that 
His  hands  may  be  loosed  a  little  so  that  He  may  reach 
the  wound,  and  He  touches  his  ear  and  heals  him. 

After  the  false  witness,  the  scourging,  the  hooting  and 
the  jeers  of  His  enemies,  the  Lord  is  at  last  dragged  to 
Calvary,  and  there  crucified.  "  Then  said  Jesus:  '  Father, 
forgive  them,  for  they  know  not  what  they  do.'  " 


THE  TEN  COMMANDMENTS  275 

Association. — Let  the  class  recapitulate  these  incidents, 
noticing  our  Lord's  treatment  of  the  different  people. 

Application. — Say  that  Christ  has  given  us  a  rule  to 
guide  our  behaviour  to  others;  let  the  children  find  and 
read  St.  Matt.  vii.  12  (first  half). 

Memory  Work.— Cat.  207,  208. 

Expression  Work. — Describe  some  of  the  ways  in  which 
our  Lord  was  kind  to  others. 

Write:  "  How  we  must  keep  the  Fifth  Commandment." 

Print  Christ's  rule. 


88. — Lesson  Subject :  St   Hugh  and  his  Swan. 

References. — Gen.  ii.  19,  20;  Isa.  xi.  6-9. 

Apparatus.  —  Pictures    of    St.    Hugh    and    of    Lincoln 
Cathedral. 

Aim. — To  teach  kindness  to  animals. 

Introduction. — Let  the  children  find  and  read  Gen.  ii. 
19,  20,  down  to  "  field."  By  a  few  questions  on  our 
present  wild  animals  lead  them  to  see  that  a  different 
relationship  existed  in  Eden  between  man  and  the  animal 
world  from  that  which  exists  now.  Draw  from  the  class 
that  the  wild  creatures  were  all  friendly  with  man  then, 
but  they  are  not  so  now;  then  let  them  find  and  read 
Isa.  xi.  6-9  to  see  how  it  will  be  on  the  New  Earth  which 
God  will  make  for  the  pure  and  holy,  into  which  sin  can 
never  enter.  Let  the  children  discuss  the  passage,  and 
tell  them  that  we  will  now  see  how  one  of  God's  great  saints 
regarded  animals. 

Presentation  :  1.  St.  Hugh  as  a  Boy.— In  a  great  castle 
in  France,  eight  hundred  years  ago,  there  was  born  a  little 
boy  who  was  christened  Hugh.  His  father  was  rich  and 
noble,  and  he  gave  his  little  son  all  that  could  make  him 
happy.  But  a  great  sorrow  fell  on  them :  the  mother  died, 
and  the  father  could  not  bear  the  castle  without  her,  so 
he  went  to  a  monastery  near  by,  taking  Hugh  with  him, 
to  be  brought  up  for  "  the  warfare  of  God."     Little  Hugh 


276  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

never  played  with  the  other  boys  in  the  monastery  school. 
"  Let  them  alone,"  his  father  used  to  say,  "  study  is  better 
suited  to  you."  So  Hugh  studied  with  all  his  might  and 
main,  and  grew  very  learned. 

2.  St.  Hugh  as  a  Monk. — Hugh  grew  up  into  a  splendid 
young  man,  and  he  desired  above  all  things  to  be  a  priest; 
so  he  was  ordained  and  became  a  Carthusian  monk  in  a 
monastery  high  up  in  the  mountains.  The  monks  lived 
a  very  austere  life,  fasting  much,  and  never  speaking  to 
each  other,  living  alone,  each  in  his  little  cell.  But  for 
Hugh  there  were  friends  and  companions  with  whom  he 
might  speak  and  yet  keep  his  rule.  He  had  always  loved 
birds  and  beasts,  and  they  knew  it  and  loved  him  in  return. 
When  he  sat  down  to  supper  his  friends  the  birds  would 
come  hopping  in,  ready  to  share  his  meal;  and  the  squirrels 
would  scamper  down  from  the  trees  and  make  themselves 
quite  at  home  in  his  room,  even  whisking  the  food  from 
his  plate.  Wherever  he  lived  the  wild  creatures  became 
his  friends. 

3.  St.  Hugh  as  a  Bishop.— One  day  the  prior  of  Hugh's 
monastery  received  a  letter  from  King  Henry  II.  of  England 
asking  for  a  good  monk  to  take  charge  of  a  monastery. 
"We  must  send  our  best,"  said  the  prior,  and  everyone 
knew  that  meant  that  Hugh  must  go;  indeed,  the  king 
had  asked  specially  that  Hugh  might  be  sent.  He  was 
strong  and  steadfast  as  the  mountains  among  which  he 
lived,  fearless  and  brave  as  a  lion,  and  yet  so  gentle  that 
all  weak  and  helpless  creatures  loved  and  trusted  him. 
So  St.  Hugh  came  to  England,  and  the  king  soon  found 
that  here  was  a  man  who  was  quite  fearless,  even  of  kings; 
for  when  he  did  wrong  St.  Hugh  told  him  of  it  and  made 
him  amend  his  ways. 

After  a  time  St.  Hugh  was  made  Bishoj)  of  Lincoln, 
and  to-day  we  can  see  the  beautiful  cathedral  which  he 
began  to  build.  He  built  the  "  angel  choir,"  so  called 
from  the  angels'  heads  carved  on  the  pillars  (show  picture). 
Lincoln  is  a  large  city,   and  so  the   Bishop,   who  loved 


THE  TEN  COMMANDMENTS  277 

solitude,  lived  in  a  country  house  near  by.  There  was  a 
lake  in  the  grounds,  and  one  day  a  splendid  wild  swan 
swooped  down  on  it  and  killed  or  drove  off  all  the  tame 
ones,  and  then  sounded  a  shrill  cry  of  triumph.  The 
servants  knew  how  the  Bishop  loved  wild  creatures,  and 
they  managed  to  get  the  swan  up  to  the  palace;  St.  Hugh 
at  once  made  friends  with  it,  and  coaxed  it  to  eat  bread 
from  his  hand,  and  the  creature  became  devoted  to  him 
from  that  moment.  It  followed  him  everywhere,  and 
even  slept  in  his  room.  The  servants  dare  not  go  near 
the  bed  when  St.  Hugh  was  asleep,  for  the  great  bird 
would  raise  its  huge  wings  in  defence  and  hiss  fiercely. 
It  would  never  let  anyone  but  Hugh  touch  it,  but  it  would 
nestle  its  head  up  his  sleeve,  and  fondle  him  with  queer 
loving  cries.  When  the  Bishop  was  away  from  Stow  the 
swan  never  entered  the  palace,  but  it  seemed  to  know 
when  he  was  expected,  and  as  soon  as  luggage  carts  and 
servants  began  to  arrive  it  would  leave  the  lake  and  go 
striding  up  to  the  house.  When  it  heard  its  master's  voice 
it  would  run  to  him  and  follow  him  about  all  the  time  he 
remained  at  Stow.  But  when  St.  Hugh  came  to  Lincoln 
for  the  last  time,  just  before  his  death,  the  swan  seemed  to 
know  what  was  coming,  and  would  not  go  near  him,  but 
hid  in  the  reeds,  drooping  and  ill,  broken-hearted  at  losing 
its  beloved  master. 

Association. — Let  the  class  recapitulate  as  follows :  Man 
and  animals  friendly  in  Eden  before  the  Fall;  man  and 
animals  now  unfriendly  as  a  general  rule ;  man  and  animals 
friendly  again  in  the  coming  sinless  world.  Then  ask 
how  Hugh  behaved  with  the  wild  creatures,  what  sort  of 
person  he  was,  and  therefore  what  kind  of  person  it  is 
who  loves  animals  and  whom  animals  love.  Lead  the 
class  to  see  that  it  is  sin  which  has  spoilt  the  relationship 
between  man  and  the  animal  world,  a  relationship  which 
the  saints  almost  always  renew.  Ask  for,  or  give  other 
instances — e.g.,  St.  Jerome  and  his  lion,  St.  Cuthbcrt  and 
his  eagle,  St.*  Bridget,  St.  Francis,  etc. 


278  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

Application. — Lead  the  class  to  form  a  practical  resolu- 
tion to  be  kind  to  animals. 
Memory  Work. — 

Ho  prayeth  best  who  loveth  best 

All  things  both  great  and  small, 
For  the  dear  God  Who  loveth  us 

He  made  and  loved  them  all. 

The  Ancient  Mariner. 

Expression  Work.— Write  or  draw  the  story. 
Describe  one  of  the  marks  of  a  saint. 
Print  the  verse. 


SIXTH  COMMANDMENT:  TO  BE  PURE  IN  HEART. 

Teacher's  Thought.—"  Blessed  are  the  clean  of  heart,  for 
they  shall  see  God  "  (St.  Matt.  v.  8). 

89.— Lesson  Subject :  Sir  Galahad. 

Reference.— Tennyson's  Holy  Grail. 

Apparatus. — A  copy  of  Watts'  picture  of  Sir  Galah-ad. 

Aim. — To  show  something  of  what  it  means  to  be  pure 
in  heart. 

Introduction. — Question  on  any  old  castle  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood, or  show  a  picture  of  one  and  let  the  children 
talk  about  it.  Tell  them  that  kings,  or  knights,  as  the 
case  may  be,  Hved  there  long  ago. 

Presentation  :  1.  Sir  Galahad  at  Arthur's  Court. — Years 
and  years  ago  there  lived  a  great  king  named  Arthur. 
All  the  young  and  splendid  men  of  the  kingdom  came  to 
his  court  to  serve  him,  and  when  they  proved  gentle  and 
brave  he  knighted  them,  and  sent  them  forth  to  assist 
all  who  needed  help — to  rescue  fair  ladies  from  cruel  robbers, 
to  kill  wild  beasts,  to  fight  battles. 

One  day  there  came  to  the  court  a  very  handsome  youth 
named  Galahad.  When  he  had  been  proved  worthy.  King 
Arthur  knighted  him  by  striking  him  lightly  with  the  blade 
of  his  sword  as  he  knelt  before  him,  saying,  "  Arise,  Sir 


THE  TEN  COMMANDMENTS  279 

Galahad  !  I  dub  thee  knight."  And  he  added,  "  God 
make  thee  good  as  thou  art  beautiful."  Sir  Galahad 
was  a  brave  soldier  and  a  splendid  horseman.  He  loved 
to  fight  for  his  king,  and  he  delighted  in  the  mimic  battles 
of  the  knights — the  tourneys — in  which  he  was  often  victor. 
He  always  wore  white  armour  and  rode  a  white  horse. 

One  day,  as  the  knights  sat  in  hall,  Sir  Percival  began 
to  tell  a  wondrous  tale.     Galahad  listened  eagerly. 

"  My  sister,  a  nun,  has  seen  the  Holy  Grail,"  said  the 
knight. 

"  The  Holy  Grail;  what  is  it  ?"  asked  the  others. 

"  A  holy  man,  her  confessor,  told  her  of  it,  and  ever 
since  she  has  prayed  and  fasted  so  that  she  might  see  it. 
It  is  the  holy  cup  which  our  Lord  used  at  the  Last  Supper. 
After  the  Resurrection  it  was  brought  to  England  by 
St.  Joseph  of  Arimathea,  and  all  who  saw  it  were  healed 
at  once  of  all  their  ills.  But  men  grew  so  wicked  that  they 
were  no  longer  fit  to  see  it,  so  the  angels  carried  it  away 
to  heaven.  My  sister  prayed  continually  that  it  might 
come  again  and  heal  the  world  of  all  its  wickedness;  and 
one  day,  as  she  prayed,  she  heard  the  sound  of  heavenly 
music,  and  a  beam  of  silver  light  shone  across  her  cell, 
and  down  the  long  beam  stole  the  Holy  Grail,  rose-red, 
shedding  a  lovely  glimmer  through  the  room.  It  slowly 
passed,  but  she  will  pray,  and  all  we  knights  must  pray, 
that  it  may  come  again  and  all  the  world  be  healed." 

Sir  Galahad's  eyes  grew  bright  as  he  listened,  and  from 
that  moment  he  wanted  to  find  the  Holy  Grail  more  than 
anything  else  in  the  world. 

2.  Sir  Galahad  seeks  the  Holy  Grail. — The  knights  were 
again  sitting  in  the  great  hall  of  the  castle.  At  one  end 
of  the  hall  stood  a  magic  chair,  made  by  the  wizard  Merlin, 
in  which  no  one  ever  sat  lest  evil  should  befall  him;  but 
on  this  night  Sir  Galahad  would  sit  down  in  Merlin's  chair. 
Then  there  came  a  sudden  noise  of  thunder,  of  roaring 
wind  and  cracking  roof,  and  as  the  knights  looked  up, 
startled,  they  saw  a  beam  of  light  seven  times  brighter 


280  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

than  the  sun,  and  down  the  long  beam  came  the  Holy 
Grail,  all  covered  with  a  shining  cloud,  "  And  none  might 
see  who  bare  it,  and  it  passed.  And  every  knight  beheld 
his  fellow's  face  as  in  a  glory,  and  all  the  knights  arose 
and  stared  each  at  the  other  like  dumb  men. ' '  Then  they  all 
said  with  one  accord:  "  Because  we  did  not  see  it  clearly 
we  must  go  in  search  of  it."  And  when  the  king  came  in 
they  told  him  what  they  meant  to  do,  but  he  answered: 
"  You  did  not  see  it  and  you  are  not  called  to  follow  it, 
if  you  go  you  will  leave  your  work  undone."  And  then 
Sir  Galahad  spoke:  "But  I,  Sir  Arthur,  saw  the  Holy 
Grail !  I  saw  the  Holy  Grail  and  heard  a  cry — '  0  Galahad, 
and  0  Galahad,  follow  me.'  "  "  Ah,  Galahad,  Galahad," 
said  the  king,  "  God  has  called  you  to  follow  and  to  find 
this  Holy  Thing,  for  you  are  pure  in  heart,  and  the  pure 
in  heart  shall  see  God." 

So  Sir  Galahad  made  ready  to  go  upon  the  quest,  and 
a  great  tourney  was  held  in  his  honour  before  he  left,  and 
such  was  the  strength  given  him  by  the  vision  that  he 
overthrew  all  who  came  against  him. 

Then  he  rode  forth  upon  his  search.  And  when  he  came 
into  fierce  heathen  lands  he  fought  against  his  enemies 
and  conquered  them,  and  overthrew  all  wicked  men  and 
wicked  ways,  and  helped  the  poor  and  such  as  were  in 
any  need;  and  all  the  time  the  Holy  Grail  was  with  him: 
"  Fainter  by  day,  but  always  in  the  night  blood-red,  and 
sUding  down  the  blackened  marsh  blood-red,  and  on  the 
naked  mountain  top  blood-red,  and  in  the  sleeping  mere 
below  blood-red.  " 

3.  Sir  Galahad  finds  the  Holy  Grail. — At  last  Sir  Galahad 
came  to  a  little  lonely  church,  and  he  tied  up  his  war- 
horse,  and  leant  his  lance  against  the  doorpost,  and  entered. 
There  he  found  a  friend,  one  of  Arthur's  knights,  no  less 
than  Sir  Percival,  whose  sister  had  seen  the  Grail.  Side 
by  side  they  knelt  while  the  priest  said  Mass,  and  there 
upon  the  altar  Sir  Galahad  saw  the  Grail.  Then  they 
went  out  together  into  the  sweet  morning  air,  and  he  told 


THE  TEN  COMMANDMENTS  281 

his  friend  that  One  had  called  him  and  he  must  go.  So 
they  went  both  together. 

They  cUnibed  a  grim,  steep  hill.  Old  rotten  trunks 
scarred  the  ground,  and  the  lightnings  played  around 
them,  making  Sir  Galahad's  silver  armour  gleam  and  gloom, 
and  setting  fire  to  those  old,  old  trees.  Down  the  hill 
they  went,  and  at  its  foot  there  stretched  a  great  black 
swamp  of  an  evil  smell,  over  which  a  bridge  of  many  piers 
led  straight  to  the  far  shining  sea.  And  Galahad  sprang 
upon  this  bridge  and  passed  swiftly  over  it,  and  as  he 
passed  it  burst  into  flames  behind  him,  whilst  the  thunder 
roared  overhead.  But  Sir  Galahad  reached  the  sea,  where 
a  boat  awaited  him,  and  his  watching  friend  could  see  him 
saihng  over  the  sea,  "  while  o'er  his  head  the  holy  Vessel 
hung,  redder  than  any  rose."  Swiftly  went  the  boat,  till 
it  was  no  more  than  a  shining  speck,  making  straight 
for  the  Holy  City  which  shone  upon  the  farther  shore, 
whither  Sir  Galahad  was  summoned  that  his  Master  might 
crown  him  king. 

4.  The  Knights  who  never  found  the  Holy  Grail. — But 
most  of  the  knights  never  found  the  Holy  Grail,  for  they 
did  not  seek  it  as  Sir  Galahad  did,  with  a  pure  heart. 
One  fingered  in  a  castle  by  the  way,  where  fair  maidens 
crowned  him  with  flowers  and  he  slept  the  daytime  through ; 
and  one  thought  all  the  while  of  a  secret  sin  which  he 
would  not  give  up;  and  one  spent  his  time  in  frivolous 
and  foolish  games  and  dances  and  forgot  all  about  the 
quest.  So  these  never  found  the  Holy  Grail,  which  could 
only  be  seen  by  those  who  loved  God  above  all  things, 
and  did  not  mix  up  other  things  with  their  love  for 
Him. 

Application. — Explain  that  the  Sixth  Commandment 
forbids  us  to  mix  up  sinful  desires  with  oiu*  service  of  God ; 
if  we  do  we  cannot  find  Him.  It  is  the  clean  of  heart 
who  know  Him.  Dishonest  tradesmen  mix  sand  with 
their  sugar  and  dried  leaves  with  their  tea,  and  such  sugar 
and  tea  is  good  for  nothing ;  if  we  bought  it  once  we  never 


282  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

should  again.  We  call  it  "  adulterated  " — that  is,  mixed 
up  with  something  bad,  not  clean  or  pure. 

Memory  Work.— Cat.  225,  212,  213. 

Expression  Work. — Write  or  draw  the  story  of  Sir 
Galahad. 

Print  St.  Matt.  v.  8. 


90.— Lesson  Subject :  St.  Margaret  of  Scotland. 

Aim. — To  inspire  love  and  admiration  for  a  pure  and 
holy  character. 

Introduction. — Show  a  piece  of  tartan  plaid  and  ask  to 
what  country  it  belongs.  Tell  the  children  they  are  going 
to  hear  how  the  Scots  learnt  to  love  colours  and  weave 
tartans. 

Presentation  :  1.  St.  Margaret  as  a  Fugitive.— A  little 
boat  was  tossing  on  a  cold  grey  sea.  Nearer  and  nearer 
it  drew  to  a  rocky  shore,  a  shore  all  unknown  to  the  people 
in  the  boat.  They  were  young  and  fair  and  beautiful, 
dressed  in  rich  clothes,  but  travel-stained  and  hungry. 
The  young  Prince  Edgar  had  fled  from  his  own  land  of 
England  to  this  rough  land  of  Scotland,  for  William  the 
Norman  had  seized  his  throne  and  would  have  killed  him 
had  he  caught  him. 

With  him  were  his  mother  and  his  two  sisters,  Margaret 
and  Christina.  Margaret  was  fair  and  lovely  as  a  lily, 
and  as  good  as  she  was  beautiful.  Though  they  were 
homeless  and  friendless,  alone  and  in  peril,  off  this  wild 
coast,  she  was  not  afraid,  for  she  knew  that  the  Lord  in 
Whom  she  trusted  would  take  care  of  them,  and  her  only 
desire  was  to  serve  Him — she  hoped  to  become  a  nun. 

"  To  the  right !  to  the  right !"  shouted  a  sailor  on  the 
look  out.  "  There  is  a  little  bay  where  we  might  land." 
Very  cautiously  they  put  the  boat  in,  for  fear  of  the  rocks 
around.  Then  they  landed  and  walked  inland,  hoping  to 
find  food  and  shelter.  They  met  no  one  but  a  few  poor 
people,  who  stared  at  them  in  astonishment,  and  then 


THE  TEN  COMMANDMENTS  283 

hastened  away  to  tell  the  king  that  strangers  had  landed 
in  the  bay. 

Presently  there  came  the  sound  of  hoofs,  and  some  men 
galloped  up;  they  had  come  to  offer  food  and  shelter  in 
the  royal  palace  at  Dunfermline  (show  picture  if  avail- 
able); the  king  was  at  the  wars,  but  he  would  wish  it, 
and  would  welcome  them  himself  on  his  return. 

When  Kjng  Malcolm  returned  he  made  them  very 
welcome,  doing  everything  possible  for  his  royal  guests. 
Very  soon  he  loved  the  beautiful  Princess  Margaret  and 
asked  her  to  become  his  queen;  he  had  never  seen  anyone 
so  good  and  beautiful.  But  Margaret  was  troubled,  she 
thought  that  the  Lord  wished  her  to  enter  religion;  but 
presently  she  knew  that  He  meant  her  to  serve  Him  by 
becoming  queen,  so  she  wedded  King  Malcolm  at  Easter- 
time. 

2.  St.  Margaret  as  Queen. — The  king  loved  Margaret 
very,  very  much,  but  even  he  did  not  know  how  good  she 
was.  He  listened  to  some  wicked  men  who  told  lies  about 
her;  they  said  that  when  he  was  away  from  home  she 
went  out  of  the  palace  and  met  his  enemies  in  a  cave  in 
the  woods.  This  made  Malcolm  very  angry  and  unhappy, 
and  he  determined  to  find  out  the  truth  for  himself.  So 
one  morning  he  started  out  as  if  he  were  going  hunting, 
but  when  out  of  sight  of  the  palace  he  turned  and  rode 
round  to  the  little  gate  in  the  wall  which  led  into  the 
woods.  There  he  waited,  hidden  in  the  trees.  The  door 
opened  presently,  and  Margaret  came  out;  she  walked 
through  the  wood  a  little  way  and  entered  a  cave;  Malcolm 
followed,  he  could  hear  her  speaking  to  someone.  "  There  !" 
he  thought,  "it  is  true  !"  He  drew  nearer,  and  this  is 
what  he  heard:  "  King  and  Lord  of  all,"  prayed  Margaret, 
"  teach  my  dear  king  to  serve  Thee  truly,  to  love  Thee 
perfectly,  and  to  walk  in  Thy  hght." 

Very  much  ashamed  of  himself  the  king  went  home;  he 
never  doubted  his  pure  and  lovely  queen  again. 

All  the  Scots  people  wondered  what  sort  of  queen  she 


284  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

would  be,  so  they  watched  her  carefully.  The  first  thing 
they  noticed  was  that  she  was  always  beautifully  dressed. 
She  wore  the  most  lovely  colours,  whereas  they  usually 
dressed  in  dull  grej^s  and  browns.  Gradually,  as  they 
came  to  know  and  love  their  queen,  and  as  her  beautiful 
character  made  them  love  beauty  in  all  things,  they,  too, 
added  bright  colours  to  their  dress;  it  is  said  that  Queen 
Margaret  had  the  people  taught  how  to  weave  both  the 
beautiful  Scotch  plaids  and  the  fine  linen  for  which  Dun- 
fermUne  is  still  famous  to-day. 

Queen  Margaret  would  always  have  everything  very 
neat  and  orderly  in  the  palace,  and  gradually  the  people 
took  a  pride  in  their  homes  too.  But  though  she  ate  from 
a  golden  plate  her  food  was  as  plain  as  it  could  be. 

Early  every  morning  the  Queen  came  forth  from  her 
room,  dressed  in  her  lovely  robes,  her  sweet  face  shining 
from  her  morning  prayer,  and  began  the  day  by  feeding 
nine  little  orphan  children  with  her  own  hand,  from 
her  own  golden  spoon.  Later  on  in  the  day  300 
poor  people  came  to  the  palace,  and  the  King  as  well  as 
the  Queen  fed  them  and  waited  on  them.  This  they  did 
every  day  because  they  remembered  certain  words  of  our 
Lord.     (Let  the  class  give  them.) 

3.  St.  Margaret  as  a  Saint. — Many  years  had  passed;  all 
the  queen's  children  were  grown  up,  and  the  two  elder 
boys  were  at  the  wars  with  their  father.  The  queen  was 
weak  and  ill ;  she  sat  at  home  in  the  great  grim  castle  at 
Edinburgh  (show  picture)  longing  for  their  return  and 
praying  for  their  safety.  This  castle  was  a  giooni}^  place, 
but  there  was  one  thing  which  made  Margaret  love  it — it 
was  said  that  Sir  Galahad  had  once  been  there  and  had 
rescued  some  maidens  imprisoned  therein.  Queen  Mar- 
garet loved  Sir  Galahad,  and  she  was  soon  to  go  on  the 
journey  whither  he  had  gone.  She  walked  down  to  her 
little  chapel  with  difficulty  now,  so  weak  she  had  grown, 
but  she  must  pray  for  her  dear  ones  at  the  war.  As  she 
left  the  chapel  one  June  day  she  said  to  a  friend,  "  Perhaps 


THE  TEN  COMMANDMENTS  285 

on  this  very  day  a  great  sorrow  has  befallen  Scotland." 
And  it  was  but  too  true. 

Far  away  King  Malcolm  and  his  sons,  Edward  and  Edgar, 
were  besieging  an  enemy's  castle.  "  Give  up  the  castle  !" 
they  cried,  and  the  men  within  answered:  "  We  will  give 
it  up."  The  gates  opened,  and  a  knight  rode  out  carrying 
the  castle  keys  on  his  long  spear.  "  I  come  to  surrender," 
he  cried,  "  let  j^our  king  come  forth  to  receive  the  keys." 
Malcolm  rode  to  meet  him,  and  then  the  treacherous 
knight  charged  suddenly  and  drove  his  spear  into  the  king's 
eye,  killing  him  instantly.  The  Scots  charged  forward, 
and  Prince  Edward  was  also  killed;  then,  having  lost  their 
leaders,  the  Scotch  army  fell  into  confusion  and  was  routed. 

Prince  Edgar  rode  sadly  home  to  tell  the  dreadful  news 
to  his  mother.  She  was  lying  on  her  bed,  dying,  as  he 
knew.  In  her  hand  she  held  her  greatest  treasure,  a  cross 
of  gold  set  with  diamonds,  which  contained  a  piece  of  the 
True  Cross. 

She  looked  up  at  her  son.  "  Is  it  well  with  thy  father  ? 
Is  it  well  with  thy  brother  ?"  she  asked. 

"  It  is  well,"  Edgar  answered.  He  was  afraid  of  giving 
her  a  shock. 

"  I  know  it,  my  boy,  I  know  it,"  she  whispered.  "  But 
tell  me  all  the  truth."  So  he  told  her.  But  she  was  too 
near  the  heavenly  country  to  feel  greatly  troubled  at 
hearing  that  her  loved  ones  had  gone  before.  She  knew 
that  all  that  her  Lord  willed  was  well.  And  very  soon,  in 
great  peace  and  happiness,  St.  Margaret,  too,  was  called 
to  the  Holy  City,  to  be  for  ever  with  the  Lord  Whom  she 
had  served  so  well  on  earth. 

Association. — Let  the  children  compare  Sir  Galahad 
and  St.  Margaret,  noticing  how  each  thought  first  of  God. 

Memory  Work.— Cat.  21L 

Expression  Work. — Write  or  draw  the  story. 

Describe  how  a  queen  became  a  saint. 


286  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

91. — Lesson  Subject :  St.  Joan  of  Arc. 

Apparatus. — Pictures  of  the  saint. 

Aim. — To  inspire  admiration  for,  and  a  desire  to  imitate, 
holiness  and  purity. 

Introduction. — A  few  questions  on  the  devastation  of 
France  during  the  Great  War. 

Presentation  :  1.  Joan's  Childhood. — Five  hundred  years 
ago  France  was  going  through  a  fierce  war,  but  then  the 
Eiighsh  were  fighting  against  the  French  instead  of  with 
them.  Of  course,  battles  were  very  different  in  those  days, 
and  not  so  terrible :  great  guns  were  not  invented ;  the  chief 
weapons  were  bows  and  arrows,  and  so  people  were  fairly 
safe  within  walled  towns.  When  enemies  were  near  they 
used  to  ring  a  big  bell  and  then  everyone  would  run  to  the 
town — the  very  horses  and  cows  ran  too  when  they  heard 
the  bell. 

In  the  midst  of  this  time  of  war  a  little  girl  lived  in  the 
village  of  Domremy,  hearing  every  day  of  the  defeat  of  the 
armies,  the  destruction  of  some  town,  and  all  the  horrors 
of  war.  The  king  could  not  be  crowned,  and  his  capital, 
Paris,  was  in  the  hands  of  his  enemies.  But  little  Joan, 
though  she  sorrowed  for  her  country,  never  thought  that 
such  matters  would  come  near  her.  She  led  a  quiet,  busy 
life  on  her  father's  farm,  working  in  the  fields,  helping  in 
the  house,  sewing  beside  her  mother.  All  the  neighbours 
loved  her  for  her  goodness ;  she  helped  them  all,  she  nursed 
the  sick,  and  would  even  sleep  on  the  hearth  so  that  some 
poor  person  might  have  her  bed.  Her  greatest  joy  was  to 
go  to  church,  and  it  was  said  of  her  that  "  she  often  went 
to  confession  when  other  girls  Avent  to  dance." 

2.  Joan's  Call. — One  hot  summer  day  Joan  was  in  the 
garden,  about  noontide,  when  she  saw  a  cloud  pass  before 
her  eyes,  and  from  the  cloud  came  a  voice  saying,  "  You 
must  change  your  way  of  life  and  do  marvellous  deeds, 
for  the  King  of  Heaven  has  chosen  you  to  aid  the  king  of 
France.     You  must  wear  a  man's  dress,  carry  a  sword,  and 


THE  TEN  COMMANDMENTS  287 

be  a  captain  in  the  army,  and  everyone  will  do  as  you 
advise." 

Joan  was  only  a  girl  of  thirteen  at  this  time — no  wonder 
that  she  was  frightened.  But  after  this  she  often  saw 
visions  of  the  saints,  and  they  told  her  what  she  must  do, 
and  comforted  her.  First  the  great  archangel,  Michael, 
came  to  her,  and  with  him  many  angels;  then  St.  Catherine 
and  St.  Margaret  came  often.  She  has  told  us  that  "  their 
heads  were  crowned  with  fair  crowns,  richly  and  preciously." 
They  told  her  that  God  would  save  France  through  her  aid. 
She  was  to  lead  the  army  to  victory,  and  have  the  Dauphin 
crowned  king  at  Reims. 

3.  Joan's  Work. — So  this  young  girl  went  to  the  nearest 
miUtary  station  and  asked  to  be  taken  to  the  Dauphin. 
They  laughed  at  her.  But  she  tried  again,  and  at  last  an 
officer  took  her  to  the  prince.  She  rode  on  horseback, 
dressed  Uke  a  page  in  a  dark  grey  tunic,  black  breeches,  and 
a  black  cap  on  her  short  black  hair.  But  she  said  herself 
that  she  would  far  rather  have  been  at  home,  sewing  beside 
her  mother. 

Joan  told  the  Dauphin  why  she  had  come,  and  he 
beUeved  that  God  had  sent  her.  So  she  was  given  servants 
and  a  horse  and  armour,  and  made  a  captain  in  the  army. 
She  was  one  of  the  two  commanders  of  the  armies  of 
France.  She  led  the  troops  bareheaded,  dressed  in  white 
armour,  mounted  on  a  great  black  war-horse,  and  carrying 
a  little  battle-axe  in  her  hand.  A  page  went  before  her, 
bearing  a  banner  on  which  was  a  picture  of  our  Lord  on  the 
cross. 

From  that  time  onward  the  French  army  was  victorious. 
Whenever  Joan  led  the  men  to  battle  they  won,  whenever 
they  followed  her  advice  they  were  successful.  The  soldiers 
had  never  seen  anyone  so  holy,  so  utterly  fearless  and  brave, 
and  they  adored  her  and  would  follow  her  anywhere.  Her 
banner  was  usually  in  the  forefront  of  the  battle,  where  she 
loved  to  be;  no  man  was  ever  braver.  Sometimes  she  was 
wounded,  but  she  still  cheered  on  her  men.     Battle  after 


288  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

battle  she  won,  and  at  last  the  Dauphin  was  crowned  at 
Reims,  in  that  very  cathedral  which  has  since  been  shelled 
to  pieces. 

4.  Joan's  Final  Victory. — One  day  her  saints  told  Joan 
that  she  would  be  taken  prisoner,  but  though  she  knew  well 
what  that  meant  she  never  flinched.  Others,  less  holy  and 
brave  than  she,  might  have  refused  to  fight  any  longer  and 
gone  home,  but  Joan  was  ready  for  anything  which  was 
God's  will  for  her.  At  last  the  dreadful  thing  happened. 
She  had  led  a  sortie  with  a  few  men,  and  was  cut  off  and 
captured.  Then  the  Burgundians  who  had  captured  her 
sold  her  to  the  English,  who  had  sworn  to  burn  her  as  a 
witch  if  she  ever  fell  into  their  hands.  She  was  treated 
with  brutal  cruelty :  they  kept  her  in  a  damp  cell,  heavily 
chained,  half  starved,  and  insulted  by  rough  soldiers.  But 
through  it  all  she  kept  her  love  for  and  trust  in  God,  right 
up  to  the  end,  when  she  was  burnt  at  the  stake  in  the  market- 
place of  Rouen.  She  asked  for  a  cross,  and  an  English 
soldier  made  her  one;  she  Idssed  it  and  prayed  to  the  Lord 
Jesus.  Then  she  begged  that  the  cross  from  the  church 
might  be  brought  that  she  might  look  at  it  through  the 
smoke;  they  fetched  it,  and  let  her  hold  it  while  she  was 
chained  to  the  stake.  At  last  she  cried  with  a  loud  voice, 
"  Jesus  !"  Her  head  drooped,  and  St.  Joan  went  to  the 
Lord  Whom  she  had  served  so  nobly  all  her  life. 

Association. — Discuss  St.  Joan's  life  with  the  class, 
showing  that  it  was  her  purity  and  hoUness  which  gave 
her  such  great  influence  and  enabled  her  to  accomplish 
her  task.  Let  the  children  recall  how  Sir  Galahad,  St. 
Margaret,  and  above  all  St.  Joan,  put  God  first  in  all  things, 
and  never  mixed  up  anything  with  their  love  for  and 
service  of  God. 

Explain  that  this  is  what  is  commanded  by  the  Sixth 
Commandment. 

Memory  Work.— Cat.  209. 

Expression  Work. — Write  the  life  of  St.  Joan  of  Arc. 

Describe  how  we  can  keep  the  Sixth  Commandment. 


THE  TEN  COMMANDMENTS  289 

SEVENTH  COMMANDMENT:  TO  BE  HONEST  IN  DEED. 

Teacher's  Thought. — "  To  hurt  nobody  by  word  nor 
deed." 

92. — Lesson  Subject :  The  Deceitfulness  of  Jacob. 

Reference. — Gen.  xxv.  24-28,  xxvii.,  xxviii.,  xxix.  1-30. 

Apparatus. — Model  of  an  Eastern  tent,  map  of  Palestine. 

Aim. — To  show  that  God  hates  dishonesty  and  will 
punish  it. 

Note  to  the  Teacher. — The  Bedouin  tent  is  an  oblong 
structure  of  brown  or  black  goat's-hair  cloth  supported  or 
poles,  with  a  ridge  pole  in  the  centre ;  one  end  is  curtained 
off  for  the  women,  the  men's  portion  is  open  at  the  front 
during  the  day,  and  here  guests  are  received;  only  the 
master  of  the  household  and  quite  young  boys  are  allowed 
to  enter  the  women's  apartment.  A  model  is  easily  made 
of  brown  cloth  with  nails  for  the  poles;  or  of  brown  paper, 
folded.  If  any  portion  of  this  lesson  is  famihar  to  the 
children  let  them  tell  it. 

Introduction. — Show  the  model  and  ask  the  class  to  tell 
what  they  know  of  any  tent-dwellers. 

Presentation  :  1.  Jacob's  sin. — Jacob  and  Esau  were 
twins  and  they  were  the  only  children;  Esau  was  the  elder 
and  he  was  his  father's  favourite,  but  his  mother  loved 
Jacob  best.  Of  course  it  was  very  wrong  of  them  to  have 
favourites,  as  they  presently  found  out  to  their  cost,  but 
one  can  understand  it — the  boys  were  so  different.  Esau 
loved  to  be  out  of  doors  all  day ;  he  was  a  splendid  hunts- 
man, and  would  go  off  for  hours  at  a  stretch  hunting  the 
deer,  a  dish  of  which  his  old  father  Isaac  loved.  But  Jacob 
had  always  been  his  mother's  boy ;  he  was  very  domesticated, 
he  loved  the  quiet  life  of  the  tents,  looking  after  the  flocks 
and  managing  the  family  matters  for  his  mother.  It  was 
a  great  grievance  to  Rebecca  that  Esau  was  the  elder,  for 
the  elder  son  inherited  most  of  his  father's  property,  and 
it  was  his  place  to  take  care  of  his  mother  when  his  father 


^90  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

died.  No  doubt  Rebecca  felt  that  Esau  would  be  always 
out  hunting,  leaving  her  alone.  For  it  seemed  that  poor 
old  Isaac  could  not  live  much  longer,  he  was  quite  infirm 
and  almost  blind. 

One  day  Rebecca  heard  Isaac  call  Esau  and  ask  him  to 
go  hunting,  and  get  him  some  venison,  that  he  might  eat 
it  and  bless  him  before  he  died.  So  Esau  took  his  bow  and 
arrows  and  went  off. 

"Jacob,"  called  Rebecca,  "come  here."  Jacob  came 
at  once.  "  I  have  just  heard  your  father  tell  Esau  to 
fetch  him  some  game,  and  make  him  savoury  meat,  such 
as  he  loves.  Afterwards  he  will  give  Esau  his  blessing  as 
the  elder  son,  and  that  means  that  he  will  have  everything 
and  there  will  be  nothing  left  for  you.  Now  I  have  thought 
of  a  plan:  go  to  the  flock  and  bring  me  two  kids,  and  I 
will  cook  them  so  that  they  taste  exactly  like  venison,  and 
you  shall  take  it  to  your  father  and  he  will  think  that  you 
are  Esau,  and  give  you  the  blessing  instead."  But  Jacob 
said,  "  I'm  sure  he'll  know  the  difference,  because  Esau 
has  such  hairy  hands;  if  he  touches  me  he  will  find  out  and 
I  shall  gain  a  curse  instead  of  a  blessing."  But  Rebecca 
answered,  "  I  will  take  all  responsibility;  jou  do  as  I  tell 
you."  So  Jacob  fetched  the  kids  and  his  mother  cooked 
them,  and  she  put  rough  skins  on  his  hands  and  neck,  and 
brought  Esau's  best  clothes  from  his  chest  and  put  on  him, 
for  Esau's  clothes  smelt  of  fresh  air  and  woods  and  fields. 
Then  Jacob  took  the  savoury  stew  and  carried  it  to  his 
poor  old  blind  father;  Isaac  asked  who  it  was,  and  Jacob 
promptly  answered,  "I  am  Esau,  your  eldest  son,  and  I 
have  done  as  you  commanded  me.  Come  and  eat  the 
venison  I  have  brought  you,  and  then  give  me  your  blessing." 
But  Isaac  asked,  "  How  is  it  that  you  found  it  so  quickly, 
my  son  ?"  And  Jacob  actually  dared  to  reply,  "  The 
Lord  God  sent  me  good  speed."  But  Isaac  was  not  satis- 
fied yet,  he  was  so  afraid  that  he  might  give  Esau's  blessing 
to  someone  else,  and  he  could  not  see  who  it  was;  no  doubt, 
too,  he  knew  that  he  could  not  trust  Jacob.     So  he  told 


THE  TEN  COMMANDMENTS  291 

him  to  come  near  that  he  might  feel  his  hands,  and  when 
he  touched  them  they  felt  hairy,  for  they  were  covered 
with  the  skins  of  the  kids,  and  his  clothes  smelt  of  the  open 
air,  for  they  were  Esau's  clothes.  Then  Isaac  said  in  a 
puzzled  way,  "  The  voice  is  Jacbb's  voice,  but  the  hands 
are  the  hands  of  Esau."  And  he  added  earnestly,  "  Art 
thou  my  very  son  Esau  ?"  and  Jacob  said,  "  I  am." 

Then  Isaac  ate  the  meat  and  drank  the  wine  which 
Jacob  poured  out  for  him,  and  afterwards  he  gave  him  the 
blessing  of  the  elder  son;  and  that  meant  that  all  the  best 
things  which  his  father  had  to  give  would  belong  to  Jacob 
and  not  to  Esau.  Directly  afterwards  Esau  came  home 
bringing  real  venison  to  his  father — continue  in  the  words 
of  Gen.  xxvii.  32-35. 

Let  the  class  discuss  how  Isaac  and  Esau  would  feel 
towards  Jacob ;  ask  against  Whom  else  he  had  sinned. 

2.  Jacob's  Punishment. — Now  we  will  see  what  God 
thought  of  Jacob's  sin. 

Jacob  is  travelling  across  the  desert  all  alone,  his  happy 
home  and  loving  mother  left  far  behind,  going  to  seek  a 
lodging  with  an  unknown  uncle.  (Point  to  Mesopotamia 
on  map.)  For  Esau  in  his  wrath  had  sworn  to  kill  Jacob, 
and  Rebecca  in  terror  had  begged  him  to  go  to  her  brother 
Laban — she  never  saw  her  favourite  son  again.  (Let  the 
class  discuss  the  situation — i.e.,  Jacob  could  not  inherit 
his  father's  wealth,  for  he  was  obliged  to  flee  to  a  distant 
country ;  and  Rebecca  was  left  with  the  son  to  whom  she 
had  been  so  unjust.) 

Narrate  Gen.  xxix.  1-13.  Then  Laban  suggested  that 
Jacob  should  work  for  him,  and  that  he  should  receive 
wages.  He  had  probably  noticed  what  wages  Jacob  would 
ask,  for  he  had  by  now  been  a  month  in  the  house,  and 
sure  enough  Jacob  said  that  all  the  wages  he  wanted  was 
to  marry  the  beautiful  Rachel.  "  Very  well,"  said  Laban, 
"  work  for  me  for  seven  years,  and  you  shall  have  her."  So 
Jacob,  who  had  been  the  petted  son  of  rich  parents,  now  had 
to  work  hard  as  a  shepherd  for  a  mean  and  grasping  uncle. 


292  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

The  seven  years  were  over,  and  preparations  were  made 
for  the  wedding.  Perhaps  Jacob  planned  to  return  home 
as  soon  as  he  was  married.  The  wedding  took  place  at 
night,  as  the  custom  was,  and  in  the  darkness  Laban  led  a 
veiled  lady  to  him,  and  behold !  in  the  morning,  it  was  his 
plain  cousin  Lia,  and  not  the  lovely  Rachel !  So  Jacob 
found  out  what  it  was  Hke  to  be  deceived.  He  asked  his 
uncle  to  explain  why  he  had  deceived  him  like  this,  and  he 
calmly  replied,  "  It  is  not  the  custom  in  this  place  to  give 
the  younger  in  marriage  first";  but  he  added,  "You 
can  have  Rachel  too  if  you  work  for  me  for  another  seven 
years  " — for  men  had  several  wives  in  those  days.  So  Jacob 
had  to  go  on  working  hard  for  his  crafty  uncle. 

3.  Jacob  becomes  a  Good  Man. — Jacob  had  many  more 
troubles,  and  when  he  had  children  of  his  own  they  deceived 
him  as  he  had  deceived  Isaac,  for  God  hates  deceit,  and 
punishes  it.  But  Jacob  repented,  and  became  a  good  man  ; 
for  he  loved  God  truly  and  was  really  sorry  for  his  sin. 
After  twenty  years  he  returned  home,  and  begged  Esau's 
pardon,  so  that  they  became  friends  again;  and  he  saw 
Isaac  before  he  died  after  all;  but  so  far  as  we  know  he 
never  saw  Rebecca  again,  it  is  thought  that  she  died  before 
his  return,  for  she  had  to  be  punished  too. 

Association. — Question  on  the  lesson  in  order  to  bring 
out  the  following  points: 

1.  Jacob  allowed  his  mother  to  spoil  him,  and  did  wrong 
at  her  suggestion,  and  in  consequence  had  to  leave  her  for 
the  rest  of  her  life. 

2.  He  deceived  his  father  by  pretending  to  be  Esau,  and 
was  deceived  by  Laban  in  a  similar  way. 

3.  He  tried  to  gain  riches  and  happiness  by  unfair  means, 
and  so  lost  his  wealth  and  became  the  servant  of  a  hard 
master.  Ask  why  these  troubles  came  upon  Jacob,  leading 
the  class  to  see  that  they  were  God's  punishment  for  his  sin. 

Memory  Work.— Cat.  214,  215,  216. 
Expression  Work. — Describe  how  God  punished  Jacob's 
deceit. 

Draw  one  or  more  parts  of  the  story. 


THE  TEN  COMMANDMENTS  293 

93.— Lesson  Subject :  The  Sin  of  Achan. 

Reference. — Josue  v.  13-16,  vi.,  vii. 

Apparatus. — Map  showing  Jericho  and  Hai. 

Aim. — To  show  that  a  thief  brings  trouble  on  himself 
and  others,  and  is  punished  by  God  and  man. 

Note  to  the  Teacher. — The  lot  was  a  recognised  means  of 
ascertaining  the  Divine  will ;  Urim  and  Thummin  were  used 
for  this  purpose,  and  appear  to  have  been  carved  jewels, 
a  sort  of  dice,  the  matter  being  decided  by  the  way  they 
fell,  as  we  spin  a  penny.  This  casting  of  lots  was  a  reli- 
gious act,  preceded  by  prayer  for  guidance. 

Introduction. — A  few  questions  on  the  deliverance  from 
Egypt,  and  how  Moses  led  the  Israelites  towards  Chanaan 

Presentation  :  1.  The  Israelites  Victorious. — At  last  Moses 
died,  and  God  chose  another  leader  for  His  people.  They 
were  on  the  borders  of  Chanaan,  but  between  them  and 
the  Promised  Land  were  walled  towns  occupied  by  fierce 
foes.  (Let  the  class  discuss  what  kind  of  leader  was  needed 
now.)  The  new  leader  was  young  and  strong,  and  his  very 
name  was  encouraging,  it  was  Josue,  or  Saviour. 

Show  map,  point  out  that  Jericho  headed  the  pass  by 
which  alone  they  could  enter  Chanaan;  explain  that  unless 
they  could  take  the  city  they  could  not  conquer  the  country, 
for  if  they  marched  past  the  town  the  inhabitants  would 
attack  them  as  they  passed  and  cut  them  off.  So  Josue 
ordered  the  people  to  camp  in  the  pleasant  Jordan  valley 
while  he  made  his  battle  plans.  (Draw  the  Jordan  valley, 
the  camp,  mountain  pass,  etc.)  Then  Josue  left  the  camp 
and  went  out  into  the  field  whence  he  could  see  Jericho, 
and  as  he  meditated  on  the  best  way  of  taking  the  city  he 
looked  up  and  saw  a  man  standing  near  by  with  a  drawn 
sword  in  his  hand.  "  Art  thou  for  us  or  against  us  ?" 
asked  Josue,  eagerly:  never  had  he  seen  such  a  soldierly 
figure.  "  As  Captain  of  the  Host  of  the  Lord  am  I  come," 
answered  the  stranger,  and  Josue  understood,  and  fell  on 
his  face  and  worshipped,   saying,   "  What  saith  my  Lord 


294  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

unto  His  servant  ?"  And  the  Lord  said:  "  Take  off  thy 
shoes,  for  the  place  whereon  thou  standest  is  holy,"  and 
Josue  did  so.  Then  the  Heavenly  Captain  gave  him  his 
orders:  "  I  will  give  you  the  victory  over  your  enemies," 
He  told  him,  "  and  you  shall  conquer  the  strong  city  of 
Jericho,  and  this  is  the  way  you  must  do  it.  For  six  days 
the  priests  and  the  people  are  to  walk  round  the  city  once 
every  day,  the  priests  blowing  their  trumpets,  but  the  people 
making  no  sound  at  all.  On  the  seventh  day  they  are  to 
march  round  seven  times,  and  at  the  seventh  time,  when 
the  priests  blow  the  trumpets  with  a  long  broken  note,  all 
the  people  shall  shout  loudly  and  the  walls  of  the  city  shall 
fall  down  flat,  and  they  shall  enter  in  and  take  the 
city." 

Then  Josue  returned  to  the  camp  and  explained  to  the 
people  the  plan  of  campaign,  and  he  told  them  that  when 
they  had  taken  the  city  they  were  to  be  very  careful  to 
destroy  everything  in  it  except  the  silver  and  gold  and  the 
vessels  of  brass  and  iron,  which  were  to  be  devoted  to  God's 
service ;  everything  else  must  be  destroyed — the  people  were 
to  take  nothing  for  themselves.  Describe  the  taking  of 
eTericho  very  vividly  from  Josue  vi.  6-20.  Explain  that 
the  troops  went  first,  then  the  seven  priests  with  the  trum- 
pets, then  the  priests  bearing  the  ark,  and  lastly  the  people. 
Omit  the  story  of  Rahab  as  irrelevant. 

2.  The  Israelites  Defeated. — Show  the  map  and  let  the 
class  find  the  next  town  which  lies  in  the  Israelites'  way; 
explain  that  they  cannot  advance  into  Chanaan  until  Hai 
is  subdued.  Tell  how  they  sent  up  only  a  small  detachment, 
which  was,  however,  completely  routed  (describe  vividly). 
Tell  of  Josue' s  distress;  he  knew  that  the  defeat  would 
greatly  encourage  their  enemies  and  dishearten  the  troops. 
Tell  how  Josue  and  the  chief  men  of  Israel  prayed  earnestly 
to  God,  asking  His  help.  Quote  or  read  Josue  vii.  7-9, 
paraphrase  the  Lord's  answer  (verses  10-15) — i.e.,  that  the 
reason  for  the  defeat  was  that  one  man  among  them  had 
disobeyed  God,  and  was  a  thief;  he  had  taken  some  things 


THE  TEN  COMMANDMENTS  295 

from  Jericho  which  God  had  said  belonged  to  Him  alone. 
Someone  had  "stolen  and  lied,"  said  the  Lord,  and  while 
the  thief  with  his  stolen  goods  remained  amongst  them  God 
would  not  be  with  them,  and  they  could  never  win  a  battle; 
next  morning  they  must  find  the  thief  and  make  him  confess 
his  sin.  So  the  next  day  Josue  rose  up  early  and  examined 
the  people  tribe  by  tribe  and  family  by  family  until  at  last 
he  found  the  man  who  had  sinned.  (Describe  the  casting 
of  lots).  Quote  V.  19:  And  Achan  answered,  "  It  is  quite 
true  that  I  have  sinned  against  the  Lord ;  this  is  what  I  have 
done:  when  I  saw  among  the  beautiful  things  in  Jericho  a 
gorgeous  cloak  and  a  lot  of  silver  money  and  a  huge  bar  of 
gold,  I  wanted  them  very  much,  and  I  took  them  and  hid 
them  in  my  tent;  they  are  buried  in  the  ground  in  the 
middle  of  it." 

Then  Josue  sent  messengers  to  Achan' s  tent,  and  they 
ran  quickly  and  found  the  things  hidden  in  a  hole  in  the 
ground,  as  he  had  said,  and  they  brought  them  to  Josue. 
And  when  Josue  and  the  Israelites  saw  that  Achan  had 
really  stolen  these  things  when  God  had  expressly  said  that 
no  one  must  touch  them,  they  knew  that  Achan  must  die; 
and  not  only  Achan  but  also  his  children,  for  they  had 
helped  their  father  to  hide  the  stolen  things.  "  Because 
thou  hast  troubled  us,  the  Lord  trouble  thee  this  day," 
said  Josue  sternly,  for  Achan  was  really  responsible  for  the 
death  of  the  six  and  thirty  men  who  fell  at  Hai.  So  Achan 
and  his  children  and  even  his  animals  were  killed,  as  God 
had  commanded,  and  his  tent  and  furniture  and  all  that 
he  had  was  burnt,  and  a  great  heap  of  stones  piled  on  the 
top  of  them;  so  that  all  might  know,  and  never  forget, 
what  God  thinks  of  a  thief. 

Association. — Let  the  class  compare  the  sin  of  Achan 
with  that  of  Jacob ;  show  how  the  sin  of  both  resulted  in 
misery  for  themselves  and  others. 

Application. — Help  the  class  to  form  some  particular 
resolution  suitable  to  their  individual  circumstances.  Show 
that  any  form  of  dishonesty  is  steaUng — e.g.,  defrauding 


296  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

railway  companies,  cheating  at  games,  etc.  Also  cribbing 
in  school,  wasting  an  employer's  time,  being  careless  with 
another's  property,  getting  into  debt. 

Memory  Work.— Cat.  217,  218. 

Expression  Work. — Write  or  draw  one  or  more  incidents 
of  the  lesson. 

Print  the  Seventh  Commandment. 

EIGHTH  COMMANDMENT:  TO  BE  TRUTHFUL  IN  WORD. 

Teacher's  Thought. — "  There  shall  not  enter  into  it  any- 
thing defiled,  or  that  .  .  .  maketh  a  lie  "  ( Apoc.  xxi.  27). 

94. — Lesson  Subject :  The  Truthfulness  o!  Jonas. 

Reference. — Jonas. 

Apparatus. — Pictures  of  a  storm  at  sea,  a  wrecked  Zeppe- 
lin, a  map  of  the  Mediterranean  coasts. 

Aim. — To  show  how  truthfulness  saved  life  and  untruth- 
fulness lost  it. 

Introduction. — A  few  questions  on  the  sea,  storms,  etc. 

Presentation  :  1.  Jonas  Disobedient. — Show  a  picture  of 
a  storm  at  sea,  or  describe  one — e.g.,  a  ship  is  labouring 
heavily  in  a  great  storm,  the  wind  lashes  the  sea,  piling  up 
the  waves  mountains  high;  the  green  walls  of  foaming 
water  rise  right  above  the  deck,  curl  and  fall  over  so  that 
the  vessel  is  almost  swamped.  First  one  mast  goes  and 
then  another ;  the  ship  will  soon  be  broken  to  pieces  by  the 
waves. 

The  sailors  run  to  and  fro  on  deck  like  desperate  men, 
they  are  terrified  and  know  not  what  to  do  for  the  best, 
they  throw  overboard  all  sorts  of  things,  furniture  and 
food,  to  make  the  ship  lighter  and  help  it  to  weather  the 
storm,  and  each  cries  aloud  to  his  heathen  god  for  help, 
but  not  one  prays  to  the  Lord  of  heaven  and  earth  and  sea. 

At  last  the  captain  thinks:  "  Where  is  our  passenger  ? 
I  wonder  what  he  is  doing  to  help.  I  will  look  for  him." 
So  he  went  down  into  the  cabin  and  there,  in  a  dark  corner, 


THE  TEN  COMMANDMENTS  297 

lay  a  man  fast  asleep.  Then  the  captain  awoke  him, 
saying,  "  What  do  you  mean  by  this  ?  Don't  you  know 
we  are  all  in  great  danger  ?  Get  up  and  pray  to  your  God, 
for  we  need  all  the  help  we  can  get."  And  he  left  him. 
Then  Jonas,  the  man  who  had  been  asleep,  sat  up,  but  he 
did  not  pray  to  his  God ;  no,  for  he  had  hidden  in  the  darkest 
corner  of  the  ship  in  his  endeavour  to  hide  from  His  all- 
seeing  eyes.  Jonas  knew  why  the  storm  had  come,  he 
knew  that  God  Who  rules  the  winds  and  waves  had  sent  it 
to  turn  him  from  his  course ;  for  he  was  running  away  from 
God.  Jonas  was  a  prophet,  and  God  had  told  him  to  take 
a  message  to  the  great  heathen  city  of  Ninive,  telling  the 
people  to  repent  of  their  sins  that  God  might  spare  them 
and  not  destroy  their  city.  But  Jonas  hated  these  heathen 
people,  and  he  did  not  wish  to  take  them  God's  message, 
he  would  rather  that  their  city  were  destroyed ;  so  he  went 
in  the  opposite  direction,  and  took  a  passage  in  a  ship  at 
Joppe  which  was  going  to  Spain — as  far  away  from  Ninive 
as  he  could  get.  But  now  this  great  storm  had  arisen,  and 
the  ship  could  never  reach  Spain  in  the  teeth  of  this  wind, 
but  it  and  all  the  crew  would  very  soon  be  at  the  bottom 
of  the  sea. 

2.  Jonas  a  Hero. — And  then,  quite  suddenly,  Jonas 
realised  what  he  was  doing.  He  was  disobeying  God,  and 
all  these  sailors  were  in  danger  of  death  through  his  fault. 
Then  Jonas  acted  like  a  hero.  He  went  up  on  deck.  The 
sailors  were  at  their  wits'  end;  they  had  never  seen  such  a 
storm,  and  they  felt  that  it  must  have  been  sent  because 
God  was  angry  with  someone  on  board.  So  they  said: 
"  Let  us  cast  lots  to  see  which  person  it  is  who  has  done 
wrong  and  brought  this  trouble  upon  us,"  and  the  lot  fell 
on  Jonas.  Then  they  asked  him:  "Why  has  this  evil 
come  upon  us  ?  Who  are  you  ?  Where  do  you  come 
from  ?  And  what  is  your  business  in  life  ?"  He  answered : 
"  I  am  a  Hebrew;  and  I  fear  the  Lord,  the  God  of  heaven, 
which  hath  made  the  sea  and  the  dry  land,  and  I  am  fleeing 
from  His  presence  because  I  do  not  want  to  obey  His 


298  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

commands. ' '  Then  the  sailors  were  terrified  and  exclaimed : 
"  What  is  this  that  thou  hast  done  ?  What  shall  we  do  to 
thee  that  the  sea  may  be  calm  again  ?"  For  the  storm 
increased  every  moment. 

Then  Jonas  answered  like  a  hero:  "  Take  me  up  and  cast 
me  into  the  sea ;  so  shall  the  sea  be  calm  unto  you ;  for  I 
know  that  this  storm  has  come  because  I  am  with  you." 
He  was  deeply  repentant  now,  and  so  he  owned  up  man- 
fully, and  was  ready  to  die  himself  that  the  sailors  might  be 
saved. 

But  the  sailors  wished  to  save  Jonas  if  they  could,  and  so 
they  rowed  hard  and  tried  to  bring  the  ship  to  land,  but 
they  could  not,  the  storm  only  grew  worse.  Then  they 
prayed  to  Jonas'  God  to  save  them,  feeling  that  He  must 
be  all-powerful,  and  they  cast  Jonas  into  the  sea  and 
immediately  the  storm  ceased.  And  those  heathen  sailors, 
in  fear  and  awe,  prayed  and  offered  sacrifice  to  the  great 
God  of  heaven  and  earth  Whom  Jonas  worshipped.  He 
had  already  begun  to  be  a  missionary. 

3.  Jonas  Repentant  and  Obedient. — Let  the  class  tell 
what  happened  to  Jonas  and  why — e.g.,  God  would  not 
allow  him  to  be  drowned,  for  he  had  proved  himself  capable 
of  great  things  after  all.  So  God  caused  a  great  whale  to 
swallow  Jonas,  and  after  three  days  it  swam  to  the  beach 
and  cast  him  ashore,  on  the  very  same  coast  from  which 
he  had  sailed;  and  Jonas  no  longer  disobeyed,  but  went  at 
once  to  Ninive  and  gave  the  people  God's  message. 

Illustration. — On  a  cold  February  morning  of  1915  a 
fishing  trawler,  the  King  Stephen,  from  Grimsby,  was  busy 
in  the  North  Sea.  Presently  one  of  the  men  saw  flashes 
of  light  across  the  dark  water ;  he  pointed  them  out  to  his 
mates.  "  That's  a  ship  in  distress,"  they  said,  and  made 
all  haste  to  the  spot.  But  when  they  drew  near  they  could 
not  make  out  what  it  was;  it  looked  like  a  huge  mass  of 
wreckage,  but  it  was  too  dark  to  see  anything  clearly,  so 
they  lay  by  till  dawn.  As  the  grey  light  of  morning  stole 
over  the  sea  the  fishermen  saw  an  enormous  sausage- shaped 


THE  TEN  COMMANDMENTS  299 

gas-bag  lying  on  the  water,  half  submerged,  with  broken 
bits  of  wood  and  metal  all  around.  It  was  a  wrecked 
Zeppelin,  the  L19,  which  had  been  dropping  bombs  on 
England  a  few  hours  before.  "  Save  us,  save  us  !"  cried 
the  Germans,  "  we  give  plenty  money."  There  were  seven 
or  eight  men  on  the  platform  on  the  top  of  the  gas-bag, 
which  stuck  up  high  in  the  air,  far  above  the  little  King 
Stephen.  Soon  other  Germans  joined  them,  till  there  were 
about  twenty-two  in  sight,  while  others  could  be  heard 
hammering  away  inside  the  airship.  An  officer  called  out 
to  the  skipper  of  the  trawler,  asking  him  to  take  them  on 
board  and  promising  that  they  should  be  well  paid.  Of 
course  that  was  what  the  skipper  had  come  to  do,  but  now 
he  hesitated;  a  dreadful  thought  had  occurred  to  him — 
could  he  trust  them  ?  There  had  been  cases  where  the 
enemy  had  broken  his  word.  There  were  only  nine  un- 
armed men  on  board  the  King  Stephen :  if  they  took  on 
board  twenty  or  thirty  armed  Germans  how  could  they 
be  sure  that  they  would  not  overpower  them  and  take 
them  prisoners  in  their  own  boat  to  Germany  ?  The 
skipper  explained  this  to  the  Germans,  and  though  they 
promised  not  to  fight,  he  decided  sadly  and  reluctantly 
that  he  must  not  trust  them;  he  was  responsible  for  his 
ship  and  for  the  lives  of  his  men,  and  it  was  his  duty  to 
do  a  dreadful  thing,  a  thing  which  no  Englishman  had 
ever  been  obliged  to  do  before — to  go  away  and  leave  his 
enemies  without  help.  The  skipper  did  what  he  could  for 
them.  He  hurried  back  to  port  and  sent  two  cruisers  to 
their  aid;  but  meanwhile  a  great  storm  arose,  and  that 
zeppeUn  was  never  seen  again. 

Association. — Let  the  class  compare  the  two  stories. 
Point  out  that  the  crew  of  the  zeppelin,  themselves  prob- 
ably honourable  men,  suffered  for  the  sins  of  others. 

Memory  Work.— Cat.  219,  220. 

Expression  Work. — Make  a  picture  map  of  Jonas'  adven- 
tures. 

Write:  Why  Jonas  was  saved,  and  why  the  Germans 
were  drowned. 


300  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

95. — Lesson  Subject :  Ananias. 

References.— Acts  v.  Ml,  vi.  11;  St.  Matt.  xxvi.  59-61; 
St.  Mark  xiv.  56-59;  Apoc.  xxi.  1-4,  22-26;  St.  John  viii. 
44;  Prov.  xii.  22. 

Aim. — To  show  the  hateful  wickedness  of  a  lie. 

Introduction. — One  or  two  questions  on  the  last  lesson, 
bringing  out  that  his  truthfulness  saved  Jonas. 

Presentation  :  1.  Ananias'  Wicked  Plan. — When  the 
Church  first  began  there  were  only  a  few  Christians  all 
told;  but  they  were  like  one  large  family,  all  helping  each 
other  in  any  way  they  could.  Some  were  poor  and  some 
were  rich,  but  the  rich  shared  all  they  had  with  the  poor. 
Many  who  had  houses  or  land  sold  them  and  brought  the 
money  to  the  Apostles  to  divide  amongst  those  who 
needed  it;  a  rich  man,  Barnabas,  had  just  done  so  in  a 
very  generous  way.  But  of  course  no  one  asked  the  rich 
people  to  do  this;  there  was  no  law  about  it — they  just  did 
it  because  they  loved  God  and  knew  that  in  giving  to  the 
poor  they  were  giving  to  Him. 

But  a  certain  man  named  Ananias,  and  his  wife  Saphira, 
made  a  wicked  plan.  They  had  some  property.  Well,  it 
was  theirs  and  they  had  every  right  to  do  as  they  liked 
with  it;  but  they  wanted  to  be  thought  very  kind  and 
generous,  and  yet  they  did  not  wish  to  give  away  all  their 
money.  So  they  said,  "  Let's  sell  the  property  and  bring 
part  of  the  money  to  the  Apostles  and  pretend  that  we  have 
brought  all.  Then  people  will  think  that  we  are  just  as 
kind  and  generous  as  Barnabas,  about  whom  they  make 
so  much  fuss." 

2.  Ananias'  Punishment. — So  Ananias  sold  his  property 
and  put  away  some  of  the  money.  Then  he  took  the  rest 
and  laid  it  down  at  the  Apostles'  feet,  as  much  as  to  say, 
"  There !  I  have  brought  it  all  to  you  !"  But  St.  Peter 
knew  what  was  in  his  heart  and  the  full  wickedness  of  his 
plan,  and  he  looked  straight  at  him  and  said,  "  Ananias, 
why  have  you  listened  to  Satan  and  planned  this  wicked 


THE  TEN  COMMANDMENTS  301 

lie  ?  The  land  was  yours  to  do  as  you  liked  with,  and  after 
you  had  sold  it  the  money  was  yours  too.  There  was  no 
need  to  give  any  of  it  away.  How  is  it  that  you  have 
thought  of  this  wickedness  ?  You  have  not  lied  unto 
man  but  unto  God."  And  when  Ananias  heard  these 
terrible  words  he  fell  down  straightway  and  died.  And 
great  fear  came  upon  all  who  heard  of  it.  They  saw  then, 
as  never  before,  how  much  God  hates  lies. 

About  three  hours  afterwards  Saphira  came  in.  She 
knew  nothing  of  what  had  happened.  St.  Peter  gave  her 
a  chance  to  be  honest.  "  Tell  me,"  he  said,  "  whether  you 
sold  the  land  for  so  much,"  naming  the  sum  which  Ananias 
had  brought.  "  Yes,"  she  said  "  for  so  much."  Then  St. 
Peter  asked  sternly,  "  How  is  it  that  you  two  have  agreed 
to  lie  unto  God  ?  Behold  !  those  who  buried  your  husband 
are  returning,  and  they  shall  bury  you  too  !"  And  on 
those  words  Saphira  died  also. 

And  great  fear  came  upon  all  who  heard  these  things. 

Let  the  class  discuss  the  reason  for  this  dreadful  punish- 
ment. 

Association. — Ask  a  child  to  repeat  the  Eighth  Com- 
mandment. Let  the  class  recall  instances  of  those  who 
bore  false  witness — i.e.,  deliberately  told  lies  in  order  to 
bring  condemnation  on  an  innocent  person;  e.gr.,  the  false 
witnesses  against  our  Lord  and  against  St.  Stephen.  Help 
the  children  to  recall  these  instances,  and  bring  out  the  fuU 
horror  of  the  crime. 

Application. — Our  Lord  has  told  us  that  whatever  we  do 
to  others  we  do  to  Him :  ask  if  we  ourselves  have  ever  borne 
false  witness  against  Him;  explain  that  when  we  say  un- 
kind and  untrue  things  about  people — calumny  and  de- 
traction, or  tell  tales,  or  say  anything  which  can  do  an 
injury — that  is  as  if  we  bore  false  witness  against  our  Lord. 
If  we  have  ever  done  such  a  thing  what  must  we  do  to 
make  amends  ?  Tell  the  truth  about  that  person,  endeavour 
to  restore  his  good  name. 

Generalisation. — Review  the  four  lessons  on  dishonesty 


302  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

of  deed  and  word,  noting  God's  punishments.  Turn  to 
the  Apocalypse  and  read  chapter  xxi.  1-4,  22-26.  Say 
that  there  are  some  who  may  not  enter  there :  read  with 
emphasis,  or  let  the  class  read,  verse  27.  Ask  why,  and 
let  the  class  read  Prov.  xii.  22,  and  St.  John  viii.  44,  last 
half.     Sum  up  on  B.B. : 

God  hates  lies,  but  Satan  is  the  father  of  them. 

Memory  Work.— Cat.  221,  222. 
Expression  Work. — Write  the  story. 
Print  Prov.  xii.  22,  first  half. 


NINTH  COMMANDMENT:  DAVID  AND  BATHSABEE. 

96.— Lesson  Subject :  David  and  Bathsabee. 

Reference. — 2  Kings  xi.,  xii.  1-23. 

Aim. — To  explain  something  of  the  commandment. 

Introduction. — Question  from  the  class  all  that  they 
know  of  David. 

Presentation  :  1.  David's  Sin.— David  knew  all  the  Ten 
Commandments  as  well  as  we  know  them,  but  sometimes, 
like  us,  he  broke  them.  His  especial  work  for  God  was 
fighting  His  enemies — he  was  magnificent  when  leading  his 
armies  in  battle;  war  then,  and  for  many  hundreds  of  years, 
was  a  glorious  game ; ,  there  was  even  a  season  for  battles 
as  we  have  a  hunting  season  and  a  shooting  season.  One 
could  not  fight  during  the  cold  and  wet  winter  with 
any  comfort,  but  on  the  return  of  spring  kings  gathered 
their  armies  together  and  went  campaigning;  the  spring- 
time was  even  called  "the  time  when  kings  go  forth 
to  war." 

But  one  springtime  David  felt  indolent  and  slothful,  and 
he  gave  way  to  it  instead  of  rousing  himself.  He  sent  his 
army  against  the  Ammonites  under  Joab's  captaincy,  instead 
of  leading  it  himself.  He  felt  lazy  and  indifferent,  most 
probably  he  ate  and  drank  too  much;  and  one  afternoon, 


THE  TEN  COMMANDMENTS  303 

very  likely  after  a  heavy  meal,  he  lounged  on  the  flat  roof 
of  his  house,  doing  nothing.  Presently  he  looked  over  the 
neighbouring  houses  and  saw  a  very  beautiful  woman.  He 
at  once  wanted  her  for  his  wife,  and  sent  servants  to  inquire 
who  she  was;  they  told  him  that  she  was  the  wife  of  one 
of  his  own  officers — Urias  the  Hethite.  Despite  this  David 
made  no  effort  to  put  her  out  of  his  mind,  he  thought  about 
Bathsabee  until  he  determined  to  have  her  somehow  or 
other,  and  the  devil  was  delighted  to  help  him,  and  soon 
suggested  a  fiendish  plan.  David  did  not  stop  to  think. 
He  sent  word  to  Joab  to  put  Urias  in  the  hottest  part  of 
the  battle ;  Joab  did  so,  and  Urias  was  killed.  Then  David 
married  Bathsabee. 

2.  David's  Punishment. — Soon  after  this  Nathan  the 
prophet  came  to  see  David.  Nathan  told  him  a  story; 
this  was  it :  narrate  xii.  1-4. 

Then  David  was  filled  with  indignation,  and  exclaimed 
wrathfully  that  the  man  should  die;  and  Nathan  looked 
sternly  at  him  and  said,  "  Thou  art  the  man."  He  was 
king,  he  could  have  married  anyone  he  liked,  and  yet  he 
must  murder  Urias  and  steal  his  wife.  Then  David  saw 
his  sin  and  repented  bitterly;  that  is  why,  in  spite  of  his 
sins,  the  Lord  said  that  David  was  a  man  after  His  o\^ti 
heart;  he  always  owned  up  when  he  had  done  \vrong.  Ask 
if  David  would  be  let  off  without  a  punishment.  Tell  how 
he  had  a  little  son,  the  child  of  Bathsabee,  whom  he  loved 
dearly,  and  how  he  became  very  ill.  Describe  David's 
fasting  and  prayers,  but  it  was  all  in  vain,  and  after  a 
week's  illness  the  child  died:  narrate  verses  18-23,  lead  the 
class  to  notice  his  resignation  to  the  will  of  God. 

Mention  that  this  was  not  the  whole  of  David's  punish- 
ment, but  from  that  time  onwards  he  had  great  trouble 
with  his  other  children,  until  finally  a  favourite  son, 
Absalom,  rebelled  against  him  and  he  had  to  flee  for  his 
life. 

Association. — Let  the  class  read  through  the  command- 
ments, and  say  which  of  them  David  had  broken. 


304  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

Application. — Ask  what  sins  commonly  lead  to  the 
breaking  of  the  Ninth  Commandment,  and  let  the  children 
repeat  Cat.  225,  in  order  to  see  what  to  avoid. 

Memory  Work.— Cat.  223,  224. 

Expression  Work. — Write  or  draw  one  of  the  stories. 


TENTH  COMMANDMENT:  TO  BE  CONTENT  AND  THANKFUL. 

Teacher's  Thought.—"!   have  learned,   in  whatsoever 
state  I  am,  to  be  content  therewith"  (Phil.  iv.  11). 


97. — Lesson  Subject :  Naboth's  Vineyard. 

References. — 3  Kings  xxi.,  xxii. ;  4  Kings  ix. 

Aim. — To  show  the  evil  of  covetousness  and  discontent- 
ment. 

Introduction. — Question  briefly  on  David's  sin  and  its 
punishment. 

Presentation  :  1.  Achab's  Sin. — Achab,  king  of  Israel,  lay 
upon  his  bed  with  his  face  to  the  wall,  refusing  food. 
"  Whatever  is  the  matter  ?"  asked  Jezabel  the  queen,  who 
had  just  entered.  Achab  was  glad  of  the  chance  to  air  his 
grievance.  "  You  know  that  vineyard  which  runs  along- 
side the  palace  garden,"  he  said,  "  well,  it's  just  the  thing 
for  a  vegetable  garden,  and  I  want  to  buy  it;  but  the  man 
won't  sell  it ;  I  never  heard  anything  so  foolish.  It  belongs 
to  a  person  called  Naboth;  I  went  to  him  myself  and 
offered  him  a  better  vineyard  in  place  of  it,  or  its  full 
money's  worth,  and  all  he  said  was  that  it  is  a  family  in- 
heritance, and  not  for  sale.  Too  silly,  I  call  it,  and  too 
annoying.  I  feel  so  angry  that  I  don't  know  what  to  do." 
But  Jezabel  had  seen  him  sulking  with  rage  before,  and 
she  knew  how  to  manage  him.  "  Come,  get  up,"  she  said, 
"  we  can  soon  settle  this  matter,  you  are  the  king  and  can 
do  as  you  like.  Get  up  and  eat,  I  Avill  give  you  Naboth's 
vineyard." 

Then  she  wrote  letters  in  Achab' s  name,  and  sealed 
them  with  the  king's  own  seal,  and  sent  them  to  the  chief 


THE  TEN  COMMANDMENTS  305 

men  of  the  city.  And  this  is  what  she  wrote:  "  Order  a 
solemn  fast,  and  give  Naboth  the  place  of  honour,  then 
whilst  the  people  are  all  assembled  pay  two  \vicked  men 
to  bear  false  witness  against  him,  saying  that  he  has 
spoken  against  God  and  the  king — that  is,  has  been  guilty 
of  blasphemy,  and  see  that  he  is  promptly  stoned  to 
death." 

Now  the  rulers  of  the  city  were  afraid  of  Jezabel;  they 

►knew  that  she  was  very  clever  and  very  wicked,  and  could 

do  as  she  liked  with  the  king ;  so  they  obeyed  her  commands 

to  the  letter,  killing  not  only  Naboth,  but  his  children  also, 

as  the  law  of  that  time  required. 

Then  they  sent  to  Jezabel,  saying,  "  Naboth  is  stoned 
and  is  dead."  DeUghted  with  the  success  of  her  plan, 
Jezabel  hurried  to  Achab  and  said,  "  Arise  and  take 
possession  of  Naboth' s  vineyard,  for  he  is  dead." 

So  Achab  arose  and  hastened  away  to  take  possession 
of  it. 

There  Avas  the  vineyard  which  he  had  desired  for  so  long; 
it  would  make  a  splendid  kitchen  garden,  so  conveniently 
near  the  palace.  Achab  gloated  over  it.  Then  the  smile 
faded  suddenly  from  his  face,  as  he  looked  up  and  saw  the 
stern  prophet  Elias  standing  before  him.  He  knew  Elias 
only  too  well,  and  he  knew  Whose  messenger  he  was.  The 
look  of  a  hunted  animal  came  into  his  eyes.  "  Hast  thou 
found  me,  O  mine  enemy  ?"  he  snarled.  Elias  answered, 
"I  have  found  thee.  Thus  saith  the  Lord:  'Thou  hast 
slain;  moreover,  thou  hast  taken  possession.  I  will  bring 
evil  upon  thee  and  upon  all  thy  family.  In  this  place 
where  Naboth  has  been  murdered  thou  shalt  be  slain 
also.'" 

2.  Achab's  Punishment. — Achab,  king  of  Israel,  and 
Josaphat,  king  of  Juda,  sat  in  council.  Their  old  enemy, 
the  king  of  Syria,  held  Ramoth-Galaad — surely  it  was  time 
that  they  won  it  back.  So  they  summoned  the  prophets 
and  asked  if  they  would  be  successful  if  they  went  to 
battle,  and  the  prophets  answered,  "  Yes."     But  Josaphat 

20 


306  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

asked  if  there  were  no  other  prophet  of  whom  they  might 
inquire  also.  "  There  is  Micheas,"  answered  Achab,  "  but 
I  hate  him,  he  always  prophesies  ill."  But  Josaphat  per- 
suaded him  to  send  for  him.  Then  they  asked  Micheas, 
and  he  said,  after  some  persuasion:  "  I  saw  all  Israel 
scattered  upon  the  hills,  like  sheep  that  have  no  shepherd." 
"  Did  not  I  tell  thee  that  he  prophesieth  no  good  to  me, 
but  always  evil  ?"  cried  Achab  angrily.  "  The  Lord  has 
allowed  the  other  prophets  to  be  deceived,"  explained* 
Micheas;  but  no  one  believed  him;  they  cast  him  into 
prison  and  went  forth  to  the  battle.  But  Achab  was  un- 
easy. "  Wear  your  royal  robes  and  full  armour,"  he  said 
to  Josaphat,  "  but  I  will  go  in  disguise."  For  a  king  in 
his  chariot  was  a  mark  for  the  enemy  archers.  Sure  enough, 
the  Syrians  made  straight  for  Josaphat,  thinking  he  was 
Achab,  but  when  he  cried  out  they  saw  then*  mistake — 
they  had  no  special  quarrel  with  him.  And  then,  quite  by 
chance,  a  flying  arrow  caught  Achab,  giving  him  a  mortal 
wound;  and  his  charioteer  drove  him  from  the  battle,  and 
at  evening  time  he  died. 

3.  Jezabel's  Punishment. — The  captains  of  the  army  of 
Israel  were  seated  together,  when  there  entered  a  prophet 
who  said:  "I  have  a  woid  to  thee,  0  prince."  "Unto 
whom  of  all  of  us  ?"  asked  Jehu.  "  Unto  thee,  0  prince," 
he  answered.  And  Jehu  followed  him  into  a  private  room. 
Then  the  prophet  poured  oil  upon  his  head,  saying,  "  Thus 
saith  the  Lord  God  of  Israel;  I  have  anointed  thee  king 
over  Israel,  and  thou  shalt  kill  all  Achab's  family,  and 
avenge  all  those  whom  he  and  Jezabel  have  murdered." 

Joram,  the  son  of  Achab,  who  was  now  king  of  Israel, 
was  recovering  from  wounds  received  in  battle,  and  they 
told  him  that  the  watchman  on  the  city  tower  could  see  a 
troop  of  horsemen  approaching.  "  Take  a  chariot  and  go 
to  meet  them,  and  ask,  '  Is  all  well  ?'  "  commanded  Joram. 
The  watchman  reported  that  the  chariot  met  the  troop, 
but  had  not  returned.  Then  Joram  sent  a  second  chariot, 
and  the  watchman  said,  "  He  came  to  them,  but  does  not 


THE  TEN  COMMANDMENTS  307 

return;  and  the  driving  is  like  the  driving  of  Jehu,  for  he 
driveth  furiously."  Then  Joram  ordered  his  chariot  to 
be  made  ready  in  haste,  and  he  drove  out  to  meet  Jehu, 
and  they  met  in  Naboth's  vineyard.  "  Is  it  peace,  Jehu  ?" 
asked  the  king.  "  What  peace  is  possible  ?"  asked  Jehu. 
And  at  the  look  in  his  eyes  Joram  was  terrified,  and  with  a 
turn  of  the  wrist  swung  round  his  chariot  horses  to  flee; 
but  Jehu  was  too  quick  for  him,  bending  his  bow  he  shot 
him  in  the  back  as  he  fled,  and  Joram  fell  dead  on  the  floor 
of  his  chariot. 

Jezabel  heard  of  these  things  and  prepared  to  meet  the 
conqueror.  Though  he  had  just  slain  her  son,  all  she  cared 
for  was  her  own  safety.  So  she  painted  her  face  and 
arranged  her  hair  in  order  that  she  might  appear  as  beau- 
tiful as  possible,  and  then  as  the  clatter  of  approaching 
hoofs  was  heard  she  leant  out  of  her  window  and  said, 
meaningly,  "  Can  there  be  peace  for  one  who  hath  slain 
his  master  ?"  suggesting  that  Jehu  should  make  friends 
with  her,  and  that  she  would  use  her  influence  for  him. 
But  Jehu  would  have  nothing  to  do  with  that  wicked 
woman;  he  knew  that  he  was  sent  to  punish  her.  "  Who 
is  on  my  side  ?  Who  ?"  he  cried,  and  two  or  three  servants 
looked  out.  "  Throw  her  down,"  he  commanded,  and 
they  threw  her  down,  and  the  horses  trampled  her  under- 
foot.    And  so  the  murder  of  Naboth  was  avenged. 

Association. — Ask  what  commandment  Achab  broke,  and 
which  commandments  Jezabel  broke  in  order  to  get  him 
what  he  wanted — the  Eighth  and  Fifth.  Ask  what  we 
may  expect  if  we  break  God's  commandments. 

Memory  Work.— Cat.  226 

Expression  Work. — Write  or  draw  the  story. 

Print  the  Tenth  Commandment. 


308  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

98. — Lesson  Subject :  Ruth. 

Reference.— The  Book  of  Ruth.     St.  Matt.  i.  5,  6,  16. 

Apparatus. — A  jdcture  of  Ruth  and  Noemi. 

Aim. — To  show  the  beauty  of  contentment. 

Introduction. — A  few  questions  on  Achab's  sin  and  its 
punishment. 

Presentation  :  1.  Ruth  and  Noemi. — At  a  lonely  cross- 
roads three  women  are  standing;  though  it  is  an  Eastern 
land  where  the  brightness  of  the  sun  and  flowers  suggest 
bright  colours  for  the  people,  these  women  wear  sad 
mourning  garments:  they  are  widows.  Ten  years  before 
Noemi,  the  sad-faced  old  woman,  had  come  to  live  in  this 
land  with  her  husband  and  her  two  sons;  they  were  now 
dead,  all  three  of  them,  and  Noemi  was  going  back  to  her 
old  home,  Bethlehem,  and  was  bidding  good-bye  to  her 
daughters-in-law,  Orpha  and  Ruth.  "  Do  not  come  any 
farther  with  me,"  she  said,  "go  home  to  your  mothers. 
You  have  been  verj^  good  to  me  and  my  dead  sons,  I  pray 
that  you  may  be  happy  again.  Good-bj^e."  And  she 
kissed  them.  "  No,  we  will  go  with  you,"  they  said.  "  Do 
not  come  with  me,"  urged  Noemi,  "  I  am  old  and  poor, 
and  can  do  nothing  more  for  you.  Stay  here  with  your 
friends."  Then  Orpha  kissed  her  good-bj'-e,  and  went  back 
to  her  home,  but  Ruth  said,  "  Where  thou  goest,  I  will  go, 
and  where  thou  lodgest,  T  will  lodge.  Thy  people  shall  be 
my  people,  and  thy  God  my  God."  There  was  no  turning 
her,  so  they  went  on  both  together. 

Ruth  knew  perfectly  well  what  she  was  doing.  She  was 
leaving  her  parents  and  her  friends,  and  going  among 
strangers;  she  knew  that  Noemi  was  poor  and  would  not 
be  able  to  give  her  pleasant  things,  but  just  because  of  that 
she  would  not  leave  her.  She  loved  her  mother-in-law  as 
she  had  loved  her  dead  husband,  and  she  meant  to  take 
care  of  her.  As  for  what  might  happen  to  herself,  Ruth 
never  thought  about  it. 

2.  Ruth  works  for  her  Living. — When  Ruth  and  Noemi 


THE  TEN  COMMANDMENTS  309 

arrived  in  Bethlehem  they  found  everyone  busy  with 
barley  harvest.  The  farmers  were  reaping  their  corn,  and 
the  poor  people  who  had  no  corn  of  their  own  were  allowed 
to  go  into  the  fields  and  gather  up  what  they  could  find. 
Perhaps  in  days  gone  by,  when  the  husbands  of  Ruth  and 
Noemi  were  ahve,  they  had  cornfields  and  reaped  their  own 
corn,  but  now  there  was  no  one  to  bring  them  any  corn; 
but  instead  of  sitting  down  and  complaining  and  wondering 
why  all  this  misfortune  had  happened  to  her,  Ruth  thought 
and  thought  of  a  way  to  earn  food  for  Noemi  and  herself. 
(Let  the  class  say  what  she  could  do.) 

Ruth  decided  that  she  would  go  and  glean  with  the  other 
poor  people  if  the  farmers  would  allow  her  to  go  in  their 
fields.  So  one  morning  she  started  out,  and  she  saw  a 
large  field  where  many  servants  were  working,  and  went 
in  and  asked  if  she  might  glean  there,  and  they  allowed  her 
to  do  so.  Presently  the  master  of  the  field  came  along, 
and  he  asked  his  servants  who  the  strange  girl  was,  and 
they  answered,  "It  is  the  girl  from  Moab  who  has  come 
back  with  Noemi." 

Then  Booz  went  up  to  Ruth  and  said,  very  kindly,  "  I 
am  glad  that  you  have  come  to  glean  in  my  field ;  you  may 
glean  with  my  servants  all  through  the  harvest.  When 
you  are  hungry  or  thu'sty  take  some  of  the  food  and  drink 
which  is  provided  for  them,  and  keep  with  them  every  day, 
do  not  go  to  any  other  farmer's  field.  I  know  how  kind 
you  have  been  to  Noemi,  and  how  you  have  left  your  own 
father  and  mother  and  country  to  come  here  with  her,  and 
now  may  the  God  of  Israel  bless  thee,  under  Whose  wings 
thou  art  come  to  trust." 

Then  Ruth  felt  very  happy,  and  she  worked  harder  than 
ever.  When  evening  came  she  threshed  out  her  corn  (let 
the  class  describe  how  she  would  do  it),  and  found  that  she 
had  gleaned  three  bushels.  She  went  home  rejoicing  to 
Noemi  and  told  her  all  about  the  kindness  of  Booz.  (Let 
the  children  think  out  what  Ruth  must  do  when  she  got 
home,  despite  her  weariness  from  gleaning — grind  the  corn 


310  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

into  meal  and  bake  bread.)  But  Ruth  never  grumbled, 
and  she  never  wanted  to  grumble,  she  was  perfectly  content 
and  happy.  If  she  had  known  St.  Paul — only  of  course 
this  was  hundreds  of  years  before  his  time — she  would 
have  understood  exactly  what  he  meant  when  he  said: 
Phil.  iv.  11.  But  St.  Paul  knew  all  about  her;  perhaps  it 
was  her  example  which  helped  to  teach  him  contentment. 
So  Ruth  worked  hard  all  tlirough  barley  and  wheat  harvest, 
and  took  home  much  corn  to  Noemi  for  their  winter 
food. 

3.  Ruth's  Reward. — Meanwhile  the  rich  farmer  Booz  had 
been  watching  Ruth  all  through  harvest  time;  he  knew  all 
about  her,  for  he  was  related  to  Noemi.  He  noticed  how 
hard  she  worked  and  how  happy  she  was,  and  how  kind 
to  Noemi ;  and  first  he  admired  her,  and  then  he  loved  her 
and  wanted  her  to  be  his  wife.  Ruth  loved  him  too,  and 
very  soon  after  harvest  they  were  married  and  went  to  live 
in  his  beautiful  house,  and  you  may  be  sure  that  Noemi  had 
the  best  room  in  it.  And  then  presently  God  gave  Ruth 
a  little  son,  and  it  seemed  to  her  that  it  was  not  possible 
for  anyone  to  be  happier  than  she  was.  But  she  never 
guessed  the  honour  God  had  in  store  for  her.  We  saw  how 
the  children  of  Achab  suffered  from  his  sin  of  covetousness 
and  its  result,  now  we  shall  see  how  the  children  of  the 
happy,  contented  Ruth  were  blessed — let  the  class  find 
St.  Matt.  i.  5  and  6 — so  the  great  king  David  was  Ruth's 
great-grandson.  But  Who  is  He  Whom  we  call  the  Son  of 
David  ?  Read  verse  16.  But  we  know  that  our  Lady  was 
descended  from  David  too,  so  that  Ruth  was  the  ancestress 
both  of  our  Lady  and  our  Lord  Himself. 

Association. — Let  the  class  compare  the  covetousness 
of  David  and  Achab,  who  had  so  much,  with  the  content- 
ment of  Ruth,  who  had  nothing,  and  note  the  results  in  all 
three  cases. 

Application. — Show  that  covetousness  consists  in  envy- 
ing other  people's  possessions  and  good  fortune,  as  well  as 
in  desu'ing  to  possess  them  ourselves.     Its  essence  is  dis- 


THE  TEN  COMMANDMENTS  311 

content  and  a  grumbling  spirit.     Help  the  class  to  form 
a  practical  resolution  against  it. 

Memory  Work.— Cat.  227. 

Expression  Work. — Write  or  draw  the  story. 

99. — Review  Lesson. 

Reference.— St.  Luke  x.  25-37.     St.  Matt.  vii.  12. 

Aim, — To  review  the  Ten  Commandments  in  the  light 
of  the  Gospel  summary. 

Introduction. — Ask  the  class  to  repeat  the  Ten  Command- 
ments. 

Presentation :  The  Lawyer's  Summary. — One  day  a 
lawyer  asked  our  Lord  what  he  should  do  to  inherit  eternal 
life.  "  What  do  the  Ten  Commandments  tell  you  ?" 
asked  our  Lord,  for  the  man  was  a  lawyer  and  should  be 
able  to  understand  them  well,  and  sum  them  up  neatly. 
He  answered:  "Thou  shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God  with 
all  thy  heart,  and  with  all  thy  soul,  and  with  all  thy 
strength,  and  with  all  thy  mind;  and  thy  neighbour  as 
thyself."  "  Quite  right,"  said  our  Lord,  "if  you  do  this 
you  shall  live." 

Divide  the  B.B.  into  four  (or  use  two  boards)  and  head 
it  thus: 

Those  who  loved  God  and  their  neighbour. 

Those  who  did  not  love  God         nor  their  neighbour. 

Tell  the  class  that  we  will  see  who  kept  this  rule  among 
those  of  whom  we  have  recently  heard.  Review  the  com- 
mandments in  this  light,  filHng  in  the  names  as  the  children 
assign  their  places  to  the  characters.  When  the  same 
person  has  both  fulfilled  and  broken  the  commandment 
write  the  occasion  underneath,  when  filling  in. 

Dlustration.— Tell  the  class  that  the  lawyer  asked,  "  Who 
is  my  neighbour  ?"  and  that  our  Lord  told  him  the  following 
story  in  answer. 

Narrate  the  story  of  the  good  Samaritan  vividly.  Point 
out  that  both  the  priest  and  the  Levite  were  bound  in  justice 


312  FAITH  AND  DUTY 

and  charity  to  help  the  poor  man,  who  was  a  Jew,  but  that 
help  from  a  Samaritan  was  totally  unexpected  because  the 
two  races  were  not  friendly. 

Application. — Help  the  class  to  draw  the  moral — i.e., 
that  everyone  has  a  claim  on  our  help.  Tell  them  that  our 
Lord  has  given  us  a  further  explanation  of  this  rule — let 
them  find  and  read  St.  Matt.  vii.  12. 

Memory  Work. — St.  Luke  x.  27  (beginning  at  "  thou 
shalt "),  and  St.  Matt.  vii.  12,  learnt  together  as  a  whole, 
being  a  complete  summary  of  the  decalogue. 

Expression  Work. — Write  the  parable  of  the  Good 
Samaritan. 

Print  St.  Matt.  vii.  12. 


printed  in  England, 


